"THERE  IS  THE  GOLD,  SEE  IT  SHINE.' 


THE 


BOYS  OF  THE  SIERRAS; 


OR, 


THE  YOUNG  GOLD  HUNTERS. 


A    STORY    OF    CALIFORNIA    IN   '49. 


EDITED     BY 


WALTER    MONTGOMERY, 


FULLY    ILLUSTRATED. 


BOSTON: 
ESTES    AND     LAURIAT, 

301-305  WASHINGTON   STREET. 
1884. 


Copyright,  1883, 
BY     ESTES    AND    LAURIAT. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

CHAPTER 

I.  THE  JOURNEY  PROPOSED •  ll 

II.  THE  DEPARTURE 

III.  SAN  FRANCISCO 

IV.  THE  LETTER 

V.  THE  GAMBLING-HOUSE 

VI.     THE  WEAPONS         .        .        . 

VII.  THE  SAVAGES          .....••• 

VIII.     THE  BANKRUPTCY 

IX.  THE  GOLD-SEEKERS        .        .        . 

X.     THE  BUSHRANGERS          

XL     THE  NUGGET 

XII.     THE  GHOST 

XIII.  THE  WOUNDED  MAN 

XIV.  THE  VAQUEROS       . 

XV.     THE  DIGGINGS 

XVI.     THE  GOLD-DIGGERS  « 

M111379  s 


6  CONTENTS. 

XVII.  LYNCH  LAW 141 

XVIII.  THE  GRIZZLY  BEAR 148 

XIX.  THE  WILDERNESS 157 

XX.  EL  DORADO  • 167 

XXI.  THE  WELL  . 176 

XXII.  THE  CORPSES .  .  198 

XXIII.  DESPAIR 210 

XXIV.  THE  RETURN 232 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


"  THERE  is  THE  GOLD  !    SEE  IT  SHINE."         ....  Frontispiece 

DONATUS    SAVED    BY    A    SAILOR I/ 

"  HAVE  PITY  ON  A  POOR  FLEMING  !     I  AM  GOING  TO  DIE  ! "           .  23 

JAN  READING  DONATUS'  LETTER 36 

THE  ARRIVAL  OF  THE  FRENCH  THREE-MASTER       .         .        .        ,      ,  .  59 
"  THERE!     THERE!"    REPLIED    KWIK  :    "A   WHOLE    BAND    OF    BRIG- 
ANDS ! "  .         .         .         .         . •   .  69 

DONATUS  LEVELS  HIS  GUN      .         .         .         .         .         .        ...  75 

"GOLD!    GOLD!"    I  HAVE  FOUND  A  TREASURE!"         .        .        ..        .  81 

DONATUS  WALKS  BY  THE  MULE'S  SIDE  .......  89 

THE  WOUNDED  ENGLISHMAN .         .101 

ROOZEMAN  CAUGHT  BY  A  LASSO      . ICX} 

THE  GOLD-SEEKERS  DESCENDING  BY  THE  TORRENT-BED         .        .         .119 

THE  MULE  GALLOPING  OFF  WITH  KWIK 139 

THE  GRIZZLY  BEAR  CLIMBING  THE  TREE        .        .        .        .        .        .  153 

DONATUS'  JOY  AFTER  DISCOVERING  GOLD       ....         .  169 


8  LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

DONATUS    IN    THE    POOL 1 79 

VICTOR  AFTER  BEING  FULLED  OUT  OF  THE  POOL  .         .         .         .185 

THE  GOLD-SEEKERS  MAKING  AN  EMBANKMENT 193 

DONATUS  DISCOVERING  THAT  THE  GOLD  HAS  BEEN  STOLEN  .        .       201 

CREPS    CREEPING   ALONG   THE    GROUND       .  .  .  .  .  .21$ 

DONATUS  KVVIK  WITH  ALL  THE  GAME  HE  COULD  PROCURE  .  .  .221 
THE  MEXICAN  PREPARING  A  DRAUGHT  FOR  VICTOR  ....  227 
THE  BETROTHAL  OF  VICTOR  AND  LUCIA 237 


THE  BOYS  OF  THE  SIERRAS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE  JOURNEY    PROPOSED. 

ONE  morning  in  the  month  of  May,  1849,  a  young  clerk  was 
sitting  alone  before  his  desk,  in  the  office  of  a  small  commer- 
cial house  at  Antwerp. 

He  was  tall  and  fair-haired;  there  was  a  dreamy  look  in  his  deli- 
cate face,  though  hope  and  vigor  shone  in  his  bright  blue  eyes. 

He  was  busy  writing:  but  he  often  stopped  in  his  work  to  cast  his 
eyes  upon  a  newspaper  which  lay  open  on  the  desk  before  him.  Its 
contents  seemed  to  have  a  strange  charm  for  him,  for  he  was  plainly 
vexed  with  himself,  he  so  often  turned  his  attention  away  from  his 
work.  In  the  paper  he  read  — 

"Gold  is  found  there  almost  on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  in 
such  abundance  that  one  has  only  to  stoop  down  to  pick  up  treasures. 
A  sailor  lately  found  a  nugget  of  gold  weighing  more  than  twenty 
pounds,  and  worth  at  least  twenty-five  thousand  francs." 

The  clerk  looked  up  sadly. 

Some  one  opened  the  office  door;  it  was  a  strongly-built  young 
man,  with  ruddy  cheeks  and  black  sparkling  eyes  —  a  picture  of 
health  and  good  humor. 

"Jan,  my  friend,  you  will  catch  it!"  said  the  clerk  at  the  desk. 
"Our  master  has  been  to  the  office,  and  showed  his  vexation  at  your 
absence." 


12     :  W>     ,  V  ^  ^'t  uccl     THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

'A  I  ^- Mat's  itot  ntatt6rv  to  me,  my  good  Victor,"  replied  Jan.  "  It's  all 
settled;  I  am  going  to  say  good-by  to  the  trade  of  quill-driving,  and 
to  this  gloomy  prison  where  I  have  so  foolishly  wasted  some  of  the 
best  years  of  my  life.  Hurrah!  I  am  going  to  roam  over  the  world, 
free  as  a  bird,  and  owning  no  other  masters  but  God  and  Fortune! " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  his  companion. 

w  This  is  what  I  mean,"  said  Jan,  drawing  a  folded  paper  from  his 
pocket.  w  Here  is  the  prospectus  of  a  French  company,  '  The  Cali- 
fornian,'  which  is  having  all  sorts  of  tools  and  implements  made  to 
work  the  best  mines  in  California.  Any  one  who  likes  can  become 
a  shareholder.  For  two  thousand  francs  we  get  a  free  passage, 
second  class,  in  one  of  the  company's  ships,  and  receive  two  shares, 
which  give  a  right  to  a  double  portion  of  the  gold  obtained.  In 
California  one  has  nothing  to  care  for;  the  Company  procures  for  its 
shareholders  good  food  and  comfortable  wooden  houses.  As  a  third- 
class  passenger  one  pays  only  twelve  hundred  francs,  and  receives 
but  one  share.  My  father  has  consented  to  sacrifice  two  thousand 
francs,  so  I  shall  become  a  shareholder  in  the  '  Californian  Company.' 
The  ship,  the  "Jonas,"  will  sail  from  Antwerp  in  a  fortnight,  for  the 
gold  land.  Four  other  vessels  will  be  sent  by  the  Company  to  Cali- 
fornia; among  them  one  from  Havre,  with  the  tools  and  the  direc- 
tors, who  ought  already  to  be  at  sea  to  receive  the  shareholders  when 
they  arrive." 

Victor  gazed  at  his  friend  with  sparkling  eyes.     What  he  had  just 
heard  filled  him  with  wonder. 

*  You  are  starting  for  the  gold  country  ?     You  are  going  to  Cali- 
fornia?" he  said. 

:c  Yes,  old  fellow;  within  a  fortnight." 

*You — you,  Jan!     Has  the  thirst  of  gold  so  suddenly  taken  hold 
of  you?" 

:?  Why,  you,  Victor,  have  yourself  turned  my  head,  by  always  talk- 
ing about  the  strange  country  which  has  just  been  discovered.     In 


THE  JOURNEY    PROPOSED.  13 

the  voyage  I  see  a  good  way  of  escaping  from  the  stifling  office  life. 
Ah!  to-morrow  I  shall  be  free!  to-morrow  I  shall  become  a  share- 
holder in  the  Company!  to-morrow  I  shall  secure  my  berth  on  board 
the  "Jonas!" 

"How  lucky  you  are!"  said  Victor,  sighing.  "I  wish  I  could 
become  your  companion! " 

''You  have  only  to  express  the  wish,  Victor.  Has  not  Lucia's 
uncle  said  twenty  times  that  he  would  lend  you  the  money  required 
if  you  liked  to  risk  a  voyage  to  California?" 

"  And  my  mother,  Jan  ?  " 

"  Yes,  your  mother.  But  you  know  all  parents  are  the  same.  If 
one  did  not  make  some  effort  to  jump  out  of  the  nest  they  would  keep 
us  under  their  wings  till  one's  hair  began  to  turn  gray." 

"  Why,  Jan,  the  very  thought  of  such  a  plan  makes  my  mother 
tremble!  Lucia's  uncle,  when  he  comes  to  see  us,  talks  of  the  long 
voyages  he  has  made  as  a  skipper,  and  then  my  poor  mother  turns 
pale.  She  has  always  been  so  good  to  me  that  I  cannot  plunge  a 
dagger  into  her  heart." 

"But  remember,  it  is  the  only  way  of  winning  Lucia.  The  cap- 
tain is  a  rough  fellow;  he  hasn't  much  respect  for  a  man  who  passes 
his  life  bent  over  a  desk,  and  who  has  only  seen  a  little  corner  of  the 
world.  I  reckon  that  if  you  go  to  California  he  will  gladly  give  you 
his  niece's  hand  on  your  return." 

"  He  has  promised  his  consent,  as  soon  as  my  salary  reaches  two 
thousand  francs." 

*  You  will  have  to  wait  a  long  time,  then.  Why,  the  chief  said 
yesterday  that  he  should  be  forced  to  reduce  our  salaries!  " 

Victor  did  not  answer. 

"Perhaps  you  are  afraid  of  such  a  long  voyage?"    said  Jan. 

"Oh!  If  I  could  go  with  you,  I  should  thank  God  for  His  good- 
ness with  all  my  heart." 

"  Make   another  effort  then,  Victor.     Think  that  otherwise  you 


14  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

condemn  yourself  to  remain  all  your  life  growing  paler  and  paler 
before  that  wretched  desk:  your  youth  passing  away  as  sadly  and 
regularly  as  an  old  clock.  Man's  happiness  consists  in  liberty,  in 
seeing  the  world,  and  gazing  on  new  wonders  ever}'  day.  And  then, 
after  two  years  of  independence,  to  return  to  our  native  land  with  gold 
enough  to  enrich  all  those  we  love!  There's  a  glorious  prospect  for 
you ! " 

"Yes,  yes!  "  cried  Victor,  with  excitement.  "I'll  ask  her  again. 
I  will  beg  her  consent  on  my  knees;  I  will  entreat  her  by  all  she  holds 
dearest  in  the  world." 

"  And  to-day  I  will  go  and  see  Captain  Moreels,  and  tell  him  he 
must  help  you.  Let  me  arrange  it.  ...  A  good  idea!  We  will 
share  all  together  out  there  —  as  we  have  done  here  —  good  and  evil." 

"Hush,  Jan!"  said  Victor  in  a  whisper.  "I  hear  our  master 
coming  into  the  office." 

"  Don't  say  a  word  to  him  about  my  departure.  My  father  might 
change  his  mind  before  to-morrow:  one  can't  say." 

The  two  clerks  took  up  their  pens,  and  when  the  door  opened 
their  heads  were  bent  in  silence  over  their  paper,  as  if  they  had  been 
for  hours  absorbed  in  their  work. 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE    DEPARTURE. 

IT  was  on  a  hot,  sunny  afternoon  in  the  month  of  June  when  a  large 
crowd  had  assembled  on  the  banks  of  the  Scheldt,  watching  a  fine 

brig  which,  with  flags  floating  in  the  wind,  lay  moored  in  the 
port,  ready  to  sail.  It  was  the  "Jonas,"  fitted  out  by  the  French  Cali- 
fornian  Company,  the  first  ship  to  make  a  direct  voyage  to  the  newly- 
discovered  gold  land. 

A  couple  of  boats  lay  alongside  the  quay  to  take  on  board  any. 
laggards  who  were  spending  their  last  hours  in  the  town.  Towards 
these  three  persons  were  hastily  making  their  way  —  a  tradesman 
with  his  two  sons,  who  had  just  come  from  a  street  which  led  on  to 
the  quay. 

*  Look,  look,  father!  "  said  the  elder  of  the  two  young  men;  "there 
is  the  '  Jonas,'  ready  to  be  off !  " 

"  May  God  protect  her!  "  said  the  old  citizen,  with  a  sigh. 

"  Surely  you  are  not  going  to  be  sad  now,  father?"  said  the  young 
man,  laughing.  *  What  are  two  years  in  a  man's  life  ?  I  have  wasted 
six  at  least  before  that  stupid  desk.  Don't  be  anxious,  but  happy  and 
confident.  I  shall  return  with  heaps  of  gold  and  treasure,  and  it  will 
be  my  pride  to  have  won  for  my  father  and  mother  a  happy  and 
peaceful  life.  Don't  be  anxious  therefore:  you  will  never  have  any 
reason  to  regret  this  voyage.  But  where  is  Victor?  Is  he  lagging 
behind  now  that  the  very  nick  of  time  has  come. 

"  His  mother  and  he  have  so  many  things  to  say  to  each  other," 
said  the  old  citizen. 


X6  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

"  Look,  Jan,  there  they  are  coming,"  said  his  brother.  '<  There  is 
poor  Lucia  Moreels;  she  is  trying  to  appear  happy,  but  the  captain's 
servant  told  me  a  week  ago  that  when  she  is  alone  she  does  nothing 
but  cry." 

"Well,  that  is  a  proof  that  she  loves  my  friend  Victor,  so  I  am  glad 
of  it  for  his  sake." 

The  persons  whose  arrival  had  been  announced  by  Jan's  brother 
soon  appeared  at  the  corner  of  the  street.  They  were  an  elderly  lady, 
who  walked  by  the  side  of  a  young  man,  whose  hand  she  pressed  with 
anxious  tenderness  as  she  spoke  to  him. 

Behind  them  came  a  man  with  sunburnt  cheeks  and  large  whiskers; 
on  his  arm  was  a  young  girl,  whom  he  was  trying  to  persuade  that  a 
sea  voyage  was  not  more  dangerous  than  a  little  excursion  to  Brussels 
by  railroad. 

!?  Victor,  Victor!  make  haste!  they  are  already  weighing  anchor!  " 
cried  Jan,  who  stood  up  in  one  of  the  boats;  "there  is  no  time  to 
lose." 

When  the  widow  saw  from  the  banks  of  the  Scheldt  the  frail  skiff 
which  in  a  few  minutes  was  to  bear  —  perhaps  forever  —  her  beloved 
son  from  her  arms,  tears  ran  down  her  cheeks,  and  she  pressed  him 
sobbing  to  her  heart.  Victor  was  deeply  moved  by  the  tender  em- 
brace, and  he  did  all  he  could  by  soothing  words  to  comfort  his 
mother. 

The  old  captain  had  at  last  to  drag  him  from  her  arm,  while  Jan 
called  out  again  that  the  boat  could  not  wait  any  longer. 

Victor  took  Lucia's  two  hands  in  his,  and  his  earnest,  loving  gaze 
seemed  to  ask  her,  "  Will  you  wait  for  me  ?  will  you  remember 
me?" 

Once  more  he  embraced  his  mother,  whispering  words  of  love 
into  her  ear.  "Well,  since  God  wills  it,"  she  said,  sobbing,  "go, 
my  son;  I  will  pray  for  you  every  day.  Do  not  forget  your 
mother." 


DONATUS   SAVED    BY   A   SAILOR. 


THE    DEPARTURE.  19 

Victor  went  down  into  the  boat.  The  oars  dipped  into  the  river, 
but  at  that  moment  a  young  man  was  seen  running  in  the  distance, 
waving  his  arm  above  his  head,  and  calling  out:  — 

*  Wait  an  instant,  I  implore  you!     I  am  Donatus  Kwik.     I  have 
paid  for  my  passage ;  I  must  go  to  the  gold  country,  too ! " 

Fie  seemed  to  be  a  peasant:  the  long  blue  coat  reaching  nearly  to 
his  heels,  his  bronzed  face,  and  his  large  hands  and  brawny  limbs, 
told  that  he  had  left  the  labor  of  the  fields  in  pursuit  of  fortune. 

His  first  step  was  not  a  happy  one.  In  his  fear  lest  the  party 
should  start  without  him,  he  had  jumped  in  such  blind  haste  on  the 
gunwale  of  the  boat  that  he  lost  his  balance  and  fell  head  first  into  the 
water.  One  sailor  seized  him  by  the  hair;  another,  helped  by  Jan, 
dragged  him  into  the  boat,  amid  shouts  of  laughter  and  applause  from 
the  crowd  on  the  quay. 

The  peasant  looked  round  him  with  confusion,  rubbed  his  head, 
and  as  he  spat  the  water  from  his  mouth  he  mumbled,  — 

*  There  is  too  much  salt  in  that  soup,  comrades.     You  need  not 
have  torn  out  half  of  my  hair;  I  can  swim  like  an  eel." 

But  as  the  boat  bounded  onwards  beneath  the  quick  stroke  of  the 
oars,  Donatus  Kwik  sank  down  in  the  boat,  and  held  on  to  the  gun- 
wale. 

Victor  had  scarcely  noticed  this  incident.  His  eyes  were  still 
fixed  on  the  spot  where  his  mother  and  Lucia  were  making  cheering 
signs  to  him,  as  if  they  thought,  dear  souls !  that  he  was  more  unhappy 
than  they  were. 

Jan  stood  up  on  a  bench.  He  shouted  one  last  farewell  to  his 
father  and  brother,  waved  his  hat,  and  raised  a  loud  hurrah. 

These  joyful  cries  had  a  strange  effect  upon  Donatus  Kwik.  He 
jumped  up,  threw  himself  upon  the  neck  of  the  merry  young  man, 
and  pressed  him  in  his  arms  with  such  force  that  Jan  felt  the  cold 
water  wet  him  to  the  skin.  He  angrily  pushed  away  this  rude  trav- 
elling companion,  exclaiming, — 


20  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

w  I  say,  my  good  fellow,  are  you  mad  or  drunk  ?  " 

w  I  think,  perhaps,  I  have  had  a  little  too  much ;  the  Antwerp  beer 
is  very  strong." 

"  Don't  you  see  that  you  have  wetted  me  and  spoilt  my  clothes?  " 

"Ah!  I  had  forgotten  the  cold  bath.  Never  mind,  comrade,  we 
can  buy  as  many  clothes  as  we  like  out  there  —  barrows  full  of 
gold!" 

w  What  part  do  you  come  from  ?  To  hear  you  talk,  one  would  say 
from  Mechlin?  "  asked  Jan. 

"  You  have  guessed  nearly  right.  I  am  Donatus  Kwik,  son  of  a 
peasant  at  Natten  Haesdonck,  in  Brabant  My  aunt  is  just  dead.  I 
have  come  in  for  her  money:  but  there  is  not  enough  to  please  me, 
so  I  am  going  to  seek  for  gold.  On  my  return  I  shall  marry  Helena, 
the  notary's  daughter,  or  Trina,  the  burgomaster's,  or  the  young  lady 
of  the  castle.  I  shall  pick  up  so  much  gold  that  I  shall  be  able  to 
buy  the  whole  village!  " 

Jan,  shrugging  his  shoulders,  turned  away  to  his  friend  Victor, 
whose  eyes  were  still  fixed  on  the  quay,  and  began  to  joke  him  about 
Lucia's  love  for  him. 

Donatus  broke  in  on  their  conversation  by  showing  them  a  piece 
of  printed  paper. 

"Comrades,  look  here!  "    he  said. 

'You  are  a  bore,  and  somewhat  too  familiar  with  your  'com- 
rades,' "  said  Jan,  in  an  angry  tone. 

''Well,  I  will  say  'gentlemen,'  as  you  wish  it,  though  I  am  not  at 
all  poor.  Come,  will  you  tell  me,  gentlemen,  what  this  is  which  I 
hold  in  my  hand  ?  " 

"  It's  an  English  five-pound  note,"  replied  Victor. 

T  Yes,  but  how  much  in  francs?  " 

"  Rather  more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  francs." 

"  I  was  afraid  that  the  Jew  with  whom  I  changed  my  money  had 
cheated  me  with  these  papers." 


THE    DEPARTURE.  21 

"Have  you  many  of  them?"    asked  Victor,  smiling. 

Looking  askance  at  the  sailors,  the  peasant  whispered  into  the 
ears  of  the  two  friends,  — 

"I  have  four  of  them,  the  remnant  of  my  legacy.  I  could  have 
put  these  five  hundred  francs  out  at  interest  with  our  village  banker, 
but  it  is  well  to  be  prudent,  as  one  can't  tell  what  may  happen  out 
there.  Supposing  we  were  taken  in  and  didn't  find  any  gold  after 
all?  Donatus  then  would  not  be  the  first  to  die  of  hunger! " 

The  boat  now  reached  the  ship,  on  board  which  the  new-comers 
were  quickly  welcomed. 

Then  the  "Jonas"  weighed  anchor,  and  spread  her  sails.  She 
was  soon  moving  onward  before  a  fresh  breeze. 

She  fired  a  farewell  salute  to  the  city  of  Antwerp,  which  was 
replied  to  by  the  guns  of  the  port.  The  sailors  on  the  yards  waved 
their  caps,  the  passengers  filled  the  air  with  their  shouts,  the  quays 
resounded  with  the  good  wishes  of  the  crowd  as  the  "Jonas  "  glided 
over  the  waters. 

The  next  moment  the  "Jonas,"  born  along  by  a  fresh  breeze,  was 
sailing  down  the  Scheldt.  Most  of  the  passengers  on  the  deck  were 
more  excited  than  on  the  previous  day.  They  had  partaken  of  their 
first  dinner  on  board;  an  abundant  meal,  consisting  of  roast  beef  and 
fresh  vegetables  for  all,  and  even  some  roast  fowls  for  the  more 
delicate  of  the  two  first  classes.  After  this  they  had  their  ration  of 
wine  or  spirits,  under  the  influence  of  which  some  had  become  quite 
drunk,  and  others  wild  and  flighty. 

The  mate  tried  to  restore  some  order  on  the  deck,  but  the  passen- 
gers only  laughed  at  him.  Very  angry  at  this,  he  went  up  to  the 
helm,  where  the  captain  with  a  grim  smile  was  watching  the  merri- 
ment among  the  passengers.  To  his  complaint  he  replied, — 

"  Let  the  noisy  folk  alone,  Nelis.  Do  you  see  those  clouds  rising 
over  the  sea?  The  wind  will  soon  get  up,  and  as  soon  as  the  c Jonas ' 
begins  to  dance  there  will  be  an  end  to  all  this  bluster." 


22  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

At  this  moment  Donatus  Kwik,  pale  and  haggard,  ran  up  to  Jan 
and  Victor,  threw  himself  on  his  knees  before  them,  lifting  up  his 
hands  in  a  supplicatory  manner. 

"  I  pray  you,"  he  cried,  "  have  pity  on  a  poor  Fleming!  I  am  going 
to  die  —  I  am  poisoned !  " 

The  kind-hearted  Victor,  thinking  this  might  be  possible,  took  his 
hand  and  raised  him  up,  inquiring  what  had  happened. 

"Ah!  good  Mr.  Roozeman!  ah!  Mr.  Creps!  I  was  not  well,  you 
know,  as  I  told  you,"  groaned  the  peasant.  :'  They  did  not  under- 
stand me  down  below.  They  laughed  at  my  sufferings.  Some  one 
went  to  look  for  a  doctor,  and  a  man  came  with  a  large  red  nose.  He 
poured  about  a  quart  of  salt-water  down  my  throat,  and  a  red  powder 
—  Cayenne  pepper,  I'm  sure.  Alas!  alas!  I'm  poisoned  :  it  is  all  over 
with  me!  Help!  help!" 

"Don't  you  see,  gentlemen,  that  that  fool  is  sea-sick?"  said  a  Ger- 
man, who  passed  by  at  that  moment. 

The  two  friends  smiled  at  this  remark,  and  tried  to  persuade 
Donatus  that  his  illness  would  soon  pass  away;  but  the  poor  fellow 
was  in  great  pain,  and  putting  both  hands  to  his  chest  hurried  down 
below  to  hide  himself. 

As  the  captain  had  predicted,  the  sky  was  soon  covered  with 
clouds,  and  the  wind,  though  still  favorable,  increased  in  force,  and 
the  "Jonas  "  began  to  dance  on  the  waves  which  hastened  to  meet  her 
from  the  open  sea. 

The  captain  went  up  to  the  mate,  and  said,  "  The  end  of  all  this 
folly  has  come  now,  Nelis.  There  are  twenty  of  them  yonder  with 
their  heads  over  the  side." 

The  songs  and  merriment,  indeed,  were  soon  silenced.  Half  the 
passengers  were  terribly  sick,  and  many  of  them  were  ignorant  of  the 
cause  of  this  mysterious  malady  which  had  so  suddenly  prostrated 
them. 

Victor  was  one  of  the  first  to  be  attacked  by  sea-sickness;  Jan, 


"HAVE   PITY   ON    A   POOR   FLEMING!       I    AM    GOING   TO   DIE!" 


I 

-orce, 
^  meet  1 


all 

er  - 
\ 

\ 


THE    DEPARTURE.  25 

however,  did  not  suffer  at  all:  so  he  took  his  friend  by  the  arm,  led 
him  to  his  cabin,  and  helped  him  get  to  bed. 

At  last  only  about  twenty  passengers  remained  on  deck,  and 
these  were  not  altogether  at  their  ease.  They  gazed  silently  at  the 
waves,  which,  with  a  monotonous  roll,  beat  against  the  sides  of  the 
ship. 

The  sea,  indeed,  was  very  rough  for  four  days,  growing  worse 
as  they  went  down  the  channel,  where  they  had  contended  with 
contrary  winds.  All  this  time  the  passengers  kept  in  their  cabins, 
fearing  to  move,  loathing  the  sight  of  food,  and  suffering  from  all  the 
misery  of  sea-sickness. 

At  night,  when  they  left  the  channel  to  enter  the  Atlantic,  the  wind 
had  fallen  and  the  waves  became  calmer.  While  the  "Jonas"  con- 
tinued her  voyage  under  a  clear  and  starry  sky,  the  passengers  felt  the 
influence  of  this  favorable  weather.  For  the  first  time  they  enjoyed 
some  sleep,  which  seemed  to  give  them  renewed  life. 

Next  day  they  appeared  one  by  one  upon  the  deck,  and  now 
their  face  was  almost  as  cheerful  as  on  the  day  of  their  departure. 
Creps  and  Roozeman  were  especially  happy.  Victor,  seeing 
himself  surrounded  by  a  boundless  horizon,  raised  his  arms  to 
heaven,  and  thanked  God  for  having  brought  them  so  far  on  their 
way  safely. 

On  the  sixteenth  day  of  the  voyage  the  passengers  were  sitting  at 
their  mess-tables.  For  the  last  forty-eight  hours  the  weather  had  been 
wet,  and  the  sun  hidden  behind  a  thick  curtain  of  fog,  but  now  the  sky 
began  to  brighten,  and  some  one  announced  with  joy  that  the  Peak  of 
Teneriffe  was  to  be  seen,  though  the  steersman  said  that  it  was  still 
twenty-five  miles  distant. 

Our  friends  went  on  deck  and  gazed  towards  the  horizon,  \vhere 
the  Canary  Islands  seemed  to  float  on  the  surface  of  the  ocean  at  the 
foot  of  the  gigantic  peak,  whose  summit,  covered  with  eternal  snow, 
pierces  the  clouds  and  seems  to  reach  the  heavens. 


26  THE    BOYS    OF   THE    SIERRAS. 

From  that  time  forward  for  weeks  the  voyage  was  devoid  of  inci- 
dent, and  for  a  long  time  nothing  occurred  to  break  the  monotony. 

The  "Jonas,"  however,  had  a  severe  trial  to  undergo,  and  once 
death  stood  between  her  passengers  and  the  promised  land  of 
gold:  so  threatening  was  the  danger,  that  all  on  board  fell  on  their 
kness,  and,  with  hands  stretched  out  to  Heaven,  implored  God's  help 
and  mercy.  When  rounding  Cape  Horn  they  were  assailed  by  long 
and  terrific  storms,  one  night  they  saw  through  the  darkness  that  they 
were  surrounded  by  immense  icebergs,  and  the  sailors  themselves, 
giving  up  all  hopes  of  safety,  wished  to  lower  the  boats  and  abandon 
the  ship  at  this  dreadful  crisis.  But  the  Lord  had  pity  on  these  poor 
frightened  creatures,  and  the  captain,  by  his  coolness,  was  able  with 
marvellous  skill  to  avoid  the  icebergs;  thus  the  gold-seekers  again 
escaped  from  the  tomb  which  yawned  before  them.  At  last  they 
reached  the  Pacific  Ocean,  between  Valparaiso  and  Tahiti. 

Nearly  five  months  had  elapsed  since  the  day  they  left  Antwerp ; 
another  forty  days  of  fair  weather  and  they  would  set  foot  on  the 
shore  of  the  wonderful  land,  the  one  object  of  their  desires,  and  the 
reward  of  all  the  hardships  they  had  suffered:  all  hearts  beat  with  ex- 
citement, all  eyes  glistened  with  hope  and  impatience. 

During  this  latter  part  of  the  voyage  only  one  incident  disturbed 
the  peace  which  reigned  on  board  the  "Jonas."  Very  early  one 
morning  Donatus  Kwik  ran  howling  upon  the  deck  crying  for  help. 
To  those  who  inquired  what  was  the  matter,  he  replied,  — 

"The  captain!  quick!  quick!  my  money-has  been  stolen!  Cheat! 
rogue!  I  am  robbed!  Oh!  my  poor  money,  my  poor  money!  " 

When  the  captain  understood  what  had  made  Donatus  so  desperate, 
he  took  up  the  matter  very  seriously.  According  to  the  peasant's 
story,  some  one  had,  during  the  night,  broken  the  lock?  of  his  travel- 
ling-bag and  stolen  from  it  four  English  bank-notes. 

All  the  third-class  passengers  were  summoned  on  deck  and 
minutely  searched  by  the  sailors.  Then  all  their  boxes  and  trunks 


THE    DEPARTURE.  2j 

were  opened  and  examined,  but  no  trace  was  found  of  the  missing 
bank-notes. 

Poor  Kwik  cried  like  a  child,  tore  his  hair,  and  filled  the  air  with 
his  complaints.  His  friends,  Creps  and  Roozeman,  tried  to  comfort 
him  with  the  assurance  that  he  would  find  his  notes  at  last;  and  when 
this  seemed  to  have  no  effect  upon  him,  they  told  him  that,  once  in 
California,  he  would  not  need  any  money,  nor  know  what  to  do  with 
it,  for  immediately  on  their  arrival  the  agents  of  the  Company  would 
provide  them  with  good  food,  comfortable  lodgings,  and,  in  fact,  all 
that  they  required. 

It  was  nevertheless  quite  impossible  to  draw  Kwik  from  his  state 
of  dejection.  Roozeman,  whom  old  Captain  Moreels  had  not  allowed 
to  start  without  any  money,  took  a  bank-note  from  his  pocket-book 
and  offered  it  to  the  poor  fellow.  Donatus  gratefully  accepted  the 
gift,  and  appeared  a  little  consoled  by  it;  nevertheless,  from  that  day 
forward  he  led  a  doleful  life  on  board  the  ship.  Whenever  he  was  down 
below  or  on  deck  he  played  the  part  of  spy  on  everybody;  he  slunk 
off  to  listen  to  the  most  private  conversations;  followed  all  the  move- 
ments of  the  passengers'  hands,  and  it  was  plain  that  he  never  looked 
at  any  one  without  the  thought  in  his  mind  that  the  thief  might  be 
before  him.  The  passengers,  irritated  by  this  suspicion,  ill-treated 
him,  and  pushed  him  out  of  their  way;  he  defended  himself  by  kicks 
to  the  right  and  left,  but  the  odds  were  so  great  against  him  that  he 
scarcely  ever  appeared  on  deck  without  a  black  eye  or  a  bruised 
nose.  It  was  a  Frenchman  with  red  moustaches  who  persecuted  him 
the  most.  Donatus  had  taken  it  in  his  head  that  this  man  was  the 
robber  of  his  notes,  and  the  Frenchman  could  read  this  suspicion  in 
his  eyes.  One  day,  after  he  had  struck  the  poor  fellow  in  the  face, 
Victor  ran  up  to  defend  his  fellow-countryman;  Creps  had  also  inter- 
vened, so  a  violent  struggle  took  place  on  deck. 

The  captain,  after  hearing  explanations  from  both  sides,  ordered 
the  Frenchman  to  prison  for  two  days.  Henceforth  the  red  moustache 


28  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

cherished  a  furious  hatred  against  Kwik,  and  incited  his  companions 
to  plague  and  annoy  him  in  every  possible  way. 

The  winds  were  still  favorable  to  the  "Jonas."  At  last,  when  the 
captain  announced  that  they  were  close  to  the  Gulf  of  San  Francisco, 
a  fever  of  excitement  took  possession  of  the  passengers. 

One  cloudy  afternoon  our  two  friends  were  sitting  with  Donatus 
Kwik  in  the  second-class  cabin,  talking,  as  usual,  about  the  approach- 
ing termination  of  their  long  journey,  and  their  landing  on  the  gold 
country,  and  the  grand  and  generous  projects  they  would  carry  out 
when  they  once  more  returned  to  their  native  land.  Suddenly  their 
conversation  was  interrupted  by  a  joyful  hurrah  which  burst  from  the 
deck.  They  hastened  up.  There  they  heard  the  triumphant  cry 

of,- 

"Land!  land!  California!  San  Francisco!  Hurrah!" 
The  fog  had  dispersed,  and  the  shores  of  California  lay  open  to 
their  astonished  gaze  —  the  two  sides  of  a  strait,  which  they  were  told 
was  the  "  Golden  Gate,"  or  the  entrance  to  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco. 
To  the  north  and  south  they  beheld  an  immense  chain  of  mountains, 
extending  far  away  into  the  misty  horizon.  In  front  of  these  the 
Monte  Diavolo  raised  its  summit,  crowned  with  gigantic  cedars. 

As  mute  with  delight  they  were  gazing  at  the  lighthouse  which 
marked  the  end  of  their  voyage,  the  "Jonas"  reached  the  Golden 
Gate  and  entered  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  studded  with  numerous 
islands,  and  large  enough  to  contain  all  the  fleets  of  the  world.  They 
cast  anchor  amid  hundreds  of  vessels  of  all  sizes  and  of  all  nations, 
and  the  passengers,  almost  crying  with  joy  and  full  of  enthusiasm, 
rushed  in  crowds  to  the  side  of  the  ship  which  was  nearest  the  shore. 


CHAPTER    III. 

SAN    FRANCISCO. 

SEVERAL  boats  came  and  went  from  the  w  Jonas  "  to  the  shore 
to  land  the  passengers. 
Sixty  of  them  were  actually  on  the  quay,  with  their  boxes 
and  trunks,  waiting  for  the  directors  or  agents  of  the  Californian  Com- 
pany, whom    they  expected    to    remove  their    luggage,  and  to  take 
them  to  the  huts,  or  wooden  houses,  which  had  been  prepared  for 
the  shareholders. 

All  this  time  our  two  friends  and  Kwik  were  staring  at  the  strange- 
looking  people  standing  by  or  passing  near  them.  It  was  not  the 
Mexicans  with  their  brilliant  costumes  who  most  attracted  their  atten- 
tion, nor  the  Chinese  with  their  long  coats  and  pig-tails,  nor  the 
mulattoes  with  their  broad,  chestnut-colored  faces,  nor  even  the  half- 
savage  natives  of  California.  What  was  the  most  strange  to  them 
was  the  appearance  of  the  Europeans,  who,  probably  like  themselves, 
had  left  their  native  land  in  search  of  gold.  Most  of  them  were  dirty 
and  ragged,  with  hair  and  beard  neglected  and  in  disorder!  But  mis- 
erable as  was  their  dress,  all  carried  a  revolver  or  a  long  knife  in  their 
belts,  and  walked  with  head  erect,  casting  proud  looks  to  the  right 
and  left.  Persons  might  be  seen,  too,  walking  about,  whose  dress  and 
manner  told  of  an  easy  position  and  a  distinguished  education,  yet  who 
seemed  on  a  footing  of  perfect  equality  with  those  whose  faces  wore 
the  impress  of  vice  and  wretchedness.  They  saw  men  whom  we 
would  take  for  beggars  or  thieves  shake  hands  with  one  who  had  the 

29 


o0  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

air  of  a  nobleman,  or  brutally  push  away,  pistol  in  hand,  those  who 
had  merely  touched  them  as  they  passed. 

"What  a  repulsive  look  all  these  people  have!  "said  Roozeman. 
"  I  should  never  have  taken  them  for  anything  else  than  a  band  of 
brigands.  How  dirty  and  savage  they  are!  " 

"  My  head  feels  quite  giddy,"  said  Kwik.  w  Here,  they  say,  one 
has  nothing  to  do  to  get  gold  but  to  pick  it  up;  it  seems  to  me  it 
would  be  better  for  those  men  to  pick  up  new  trousers  and  new 
shoes.  I  begin  to  fear  we  shall  have  to  repent  of  our  voyage.  Oh! 
if  I  only  had  my  five  hundred  francs!  " 

"You  look  at  everything  on  the  dark  side,"  said  Jan,  laughing; 
"  it  stands  to  reason  that  all  who  come  to  California  are  not  rich  at 
once.  These  people  are  probably  travellers  just  arrived,  like  our- 
selves. They  have  not  had  time  or  opportunity  yet  to  go  to  the  gold 
mines;  not  being,  as  we  are,  shareholders  of  a  company  which  pro- 
vides for  their  maintenance,  they  suffer  no  little  misery  and  distress. 
Observe,  nevertheless,  how  the  hope  or  certainty  of  soon  becoming 
rich  swells  their  hearts,  and  makes  them  proud.  This  is  the  fulfil- 
ment of  that  dream  which  the  noblest  hearts  in  Europe  so  ardently 
desire,  fraternity  and  equality  among  all  men  and  all  nations,  without 
any  distinction  of  blood  or  rank." 

:r  Yes,  but  fraternity  with  all  those  pistols  and  long  knives  inspires 
me  with  very  little  confidence,"  replied  Donatus.  "  If  those  fellows 
with  their  tangled  beards  who  stare  at  us  so  strangely  are  my  brethren 
—  well,  I  should  prefer  not  to  meet  any  of  those  members  of  my 
family  alone  in  a  wood!  " 

*You  don't  understand,"  answered  Jan;  "the  arms  in  those  men's 
belts  are  signs  of  liberty  and  independence.  Have  you  not  heard 
that  in  the  United  States  of  America  no  one  goes  out  without  a 
revolver?  But  that  is  a  powerful  and  civilized  nation,  which  gives 
the  best  example  of  liberty  and  independence  to  the  whole  world. 
You  will  experience  it" 


SAN    FRANCISCO.  31 

Just  then  a  tolerably  well-dressed  gentleman,  with  a  proud  and 
noble  countenance,  approached  Creps,  and  offered  to  carry  their 
luggage  to  the  town.  The  Flemings  gazed  at  him^  with  wonder,  and 
Jan  answered  in  English  that  they  did  not  at  the  moment  require  his 
services,  as  they  were  expecting  people  from  the  town  to  take  charge 
of  their  luggage.  Roozeman  asked  him  very  politely  how  it  was  that 
such  a  gentleman  as  he  appeared  to  be  was  obliged  to  resort  to  such 
hard  work  as  that  to  earn  a  few  shillings. 

"A  few  shillings!"  repeated  the  other,  smiling.  "It  isn't  such  a 
bad  employment  as  you  think.  I  earn  eight  and  sometimes  twelve 
dollars  a  day  by  it." 

"What  does  he  say?"  cried  Kwik,  who  during  the  voyage  had 
picked  up  a  little  English.  r<  Twelve  dollars!  sixty  francs  a-day! 
Oh,  what  a  charming  country!  To  carry  baggage  one  does  not 
require  much  wit.  Now  I  fear  nothing.  At  Natten-Haesdonck  I  had 
to  work  like  a  horse,  and  I  scarcely  earned  two  dollars  a  month,  with 
my  board  and  lodging." 

And  he  laughed  and  clapped  his  hands  as  if  the  certainty  of 
escaping  such  misery  had  made  him  mad  with  joy. 

The  Englishman,  who  thought  he  was  making  fun  of  him,  put  his 
hand  to  his  knife,  and  cast  a  threatening  look  at  the  amazed  Donatus 
as  he  turned  away. 

"A  very  touchy  brother  that,"  murmured  the  frightened  Kwik 
between  his  teeth.  "  A  little  mere  and  he  would  have  stuck  me  like 
a  pig.  Say  what  you  like,  gentlemen,  all  these  fellows  here  are  like 
a  band  of  brigands,  who  are  trying  to  pick  a  quarrel  with  you  in 
order  to  rob  or  murder  you." 

Thus  saying,  he  took  up  his  bag,  pressing  it  tightly  to  him,  as  if 
he  feared  lest  it  should  be  stolen. 

"Since  you  lost  your  bank-notes  you  see  robbers  everywhere," 
said  Jan.  "That  gentleman  did  not  understand  you,  he  thought  you 
were  laughing  at  him:  no  wonder  that  he  was  annoyed." 


o2  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

He  was  interrupted  by  a  great  noise,  and  by  the  complaints  of  the 
passengers  who,  like  himself,  were  waiting  beside  their  luggage. 
They  had  been  informed  that  neither  directors  nor  agents  of  the 
California  Company  had  yet  arrived  at  San  Francisco.  The  "Jonas" 
was  the  second  of  the  Company's  vessels  which  had  appeared  in  the 
bay,  and,  doubtless,  that  containing  the  directors  and  instruments  of 
labor  had  been  detained  by  contrary  winds.  Next  day  it  would 
probably  be  sighted.  Besides  this,  no  one  knew  anything  about  the 
"  California  Company,"  and  all  that  the  passengers  could  do  now  was 
to  act  upon  the  American  proverb,  "  Help  yourself." 

Night  was  coming  on ;  they  must  therefore  seek  a  lodging,  or,  at 
all  events,  some  shelter. 

Two  men  ran  up  together  to  carry  Victor's  trunk,  which  was 
rather  large.  Both  had  their  hands  on  it;  one  pushed  the  other  away 
violently,  and  with  coarse  language.  One  drew  his  knife  and  threat- 
ened to  stab  the  other,  but  he  jumped  on  him  like  a  furious  tiger,  tore 
away  his  knife  from  him,  throwing  it  a  long  distance  off,  and  then 
struck  him  on  the  face  with  such  force  that  the  blood  streamed  from 
his  nose  and  mouth,  and,  revolver  in  hand,  he  cried  that  he  would 
blow  out  his  brains  if  he  came  a  step  nearer. 

"Odd  sort  of  brothers!  "    murmured  Donatus,  pale  with  fright. 

"  He  is  a  tiresome  fellow,"  said  the  victor  in  French,  as  he  put  the 
box  on  his  shoulder;  "one  of  these  days  I  shall  be  obliged  to  put  a 
ball  in  his  head.  Where  do  you  gentlemen  wish  to  go?  " 

"But  I  say,  where  is  my  trunk?"  cried  Creps  suddenly;  "it  was 
here  beside  me  just  now." 

"Ah!  you  speak  Flemish,  do  you?"  asked  the  porter.  "From 
your  accent  you  are  from  Antwerp.  I  am  a  Brusseller." 

"But  my  trunk!  my  trunk!  "  repeated  Creps,  anxiously;  "where 
can  it  be  ?  " 

"  Probably  it  is  stolen,"  replied  the  Brusseller. 

"What  am  I  to  do,  then?" 


SAN   FRANCISCO.  33 

"  Nothing.     You'll  never  hear  of  it  again." 

"Run  to  the  burgomaster!    to  the  police!  "  cried  Donatus. 

"There  are  no  police  here,"  observed  the  Brusseller.  "Every  one 
is  free  here  to  do  what  he  likes.  All  the  worse  for  those  who  are 
not  strong  enough,  or  sly  enough." 

"  And  if  the  mad  fellow  just  now  had  stabbed  you  with  his  knife, 
would  there  have  been  no  justice  to  avenge  the  murder?  " 

"  None.  Justice  would  have  plenty  to  do  if  it  existed  here.  At 
the  least  word,  blood  flows  between  the  best  friends:  the  thirst  for 
gold  makes  the  heart  cruel  and  pitiless.  I  was  a  mild,  gentle  fellow 
when  I  came  to  California,  and  seven  months'  work  in  the  mines  here 
have  taught  me  that  a  sheep,  in  order  to  live  among  wolves,  must 
become  a  wolf  himself.  In  Belgium  I  did  not  like  to  shoot  a  rabbit, 
now  I  would  kill  ten  men  with  my  revolver  without  being  more 
moved  than  when  I  brush  off  the  gnats  which  are  trying  to  sting  me." 

Victor  and  Donatus  shuddered  when  they  heard  these  words.  Jan 
went  some  distance  off,  looking  everywhere  for  some  trace  of  his 
trunk. 

"  Useless  trouble,  comrade,"  said  the  Brusseller.  f  You  won't  see 
it  again.  Make  haste,  or  you  will  have  to  pay  me  double,  for  you 
make  me  waste  my  time.  I  can  earn  four  dollars  more  before  night." 

"  So  you  say,"  said  Creps,  "  that  no  justice  exists  in  the  country." 
:?  That  is  to  say,"  replied  the  porter,  "  that  no  one  meddles  with 
fights  or  murders;  but  if  a  thief  is  taken  in  the  act,  those  who  are  pre- 
sent—  you  or  I,  for  example  — sometimes  take  him  and  hang  him  on 
the  nearest  tree,  without  any  trial  or  sentence.  This  is  what  is  called 
Lynch  law  here.  You  will  soon  become  acquainted  with  this  strange 
sort  of  justice.  But  walk  a  little  quicker,  please;  and  take  care  of  the 
mud,  of  which  there  is  always  plenty  in  San  Francisco  after  rain." 

?  Well,  plainly  enough,  all  my  lamentations  won't  bring  me  back 
my  trunk !  "  sighed  Creps.  "  It's  a  good  thing  that  I  put  my  bank-notes 
in  my  pocket." 


34 


THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 


"  Don't  talk  in  that  way  for  people  to  hear  you,"  said  the  Brus- 
seller. 

"Why  not?" 

"Don't  you  understand?  If  I,  for  example,  was  desirous  to  pos- 
sess your  bank-notes,  what  is  to  prevent  me  from  stabbing  you  to  the 
heart  with  my  knife,  and  then  taking  your  bank-notes." 

"  You!  "  cried  the  three  friends  at  once. 

"  No,  I  am  not  so  far  gone  as  that,  thank  God !  I  am  only  giving 
you  good  advice.  But  you  have  not  yet  told  me  where  you  mean  to 
pass  the  night.  There  are  hotels  of  all  prices.  To  sleep  one  night  be- 
neath a  roof  one  pays  ten,  five,  three,  or  two  dollars  a  head :  even  for 
one  dollar  you  can  sleep  on  the  ground  under  a  sail.  Well,  which 
will  you  choose?  " 

"  Five  francs  to  sleep  on  the  ground  under  a  sail!  "  exclaimed  the 
Flemings. 

"Are  you  rich?  Have  you  much  money?"  inquired  the  Brus- 
seller. 

"Much  money?  No,  certainly  not!  but  enough  to  sleep  for  one 
night  in  a  tolerable  bed." 

*  Very  well;  I  see  you  are  inclined  to  follow  my  advice.  The  best 
thing  you  can  do  is  to  give  three  dollars  a  head.  The  inns  are  all 
full  at  San  Francisco,  but  I  know  one  rather  out  of  the  way  where 
four  or  five  beds  are  to  be  had." 

On  the  way  Kwik  asked  their  porter,  — 

c  Tell  me,  comrade:  you  have,  you  say,  been  some  months  in  the 
mines;  have  you  found  much  gold?" 

"Oh,  yes!  a  great  deal." 

;c  How  is  it,  then,  that  you  carry  luggage  like  some  poor  unfortu- 
nate fellow,  instead  of  living  on  your  income?  " 

"  Because  I  have  no  longer  any  gold." 

"You  have  been  robbed?" 

"  No." 


SAN    FRANCISCO. 


35 


"You  have  lost  it?" 

*  Yes;  lost  it  gambling.  I  was  too  eager;  I  wished  to  double  my 
treasures,  and  fortune  took  all  from  me.  I  must  soon  return  to  the 
mines,  and'  then  I  shall  be  wiser.  Here  is  your  hotel,  gentlemen. 
Open  up  your  purse:  two  dollars  for  my  trouble." 

:'  What!"  cried  Jan,  amazed.  "Ten  francs  for  carrying  this  trunk 
some  three  hundred  yards?  You  are  joking,  surely?  " 

"Two  dollars,  I  tell  you!" 

"  And  if  I  refuse  to  be  thus  imposed  upon  ?  " 

w  I  shall  force  you  to  pay  me,  even  if  I  resort  to  my  knife." 

"  I  laugh  at  your  knife!  "  cried  Jan. 

:?  You  are  wrong,  comrade ;  if  you  were  not  my  fellow-countryman 
you  would  repent  those  rash  words.  Come,  no  dangerous  quarrelling. 
Two  dollars!" 

Roozeman,  who  feared  that  his  companion  would  pick  a  serious 
quarrel  with  this  ferocious  person,  did  not  hesitate  to  pay  him  the 
price  he  demanded. 

"  Let  this  teach  you  to  bargain  beforehand  for  the  price  of  every- 
thing," said  the  Brusseller,  very  seriously,  as  they  entered  the  hotel; 
and  added,  "  Good  evening,  gentlemen;  if  you  want  me,  you  will  find 
me  on  the  quay.  For  a  dollar  an  hour  I  am  at  your  service." 

The  hotel  servants  took  the  trunk,  and  led  the  travellers  to  a  wide 
room  up-stairs,  where  there  were  four  beds. 

"  Will  you  sup,  gentlemen?  "  asked  a  waiter. 

Notwithstanding  their  amazement  at  all  they  had  seen  and  heard, 
our  friends  determined  to  have  a  good  supper,  and  even  to  indulge  in 
a  bottle  of  wine,  that  they  might  forget  the  everlasting  salt  meat  of  the 
ship.  They  were  served  immediately  they  entered  the  dining-room. 
The  table  was  a  very  long  one;  at  one  end  were  four  or  five  people 
playing  at  draughts.  Two  others  were  seated  near  the  Flemings,  and 
were  talking  in  French  about  the  gold  mines,  and  of  the  varied  suc- 
cess they  had  had  during  the  past  season. 


36  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

After  supper,  being  tired,  the  friends  resolved  to  go  to    bed   at 

once. 

The  waiter  showed  them  to  the  door  of  their  room,  handed  them 
a  candle,  and  wished  them  "  Good-night." 

Kwik  went  in  first;  but  scarcely  had  he  glanced  round  than  he  re- 
treated with  a  suppressed  cry,  pointing  out  to  his  companions  some- 
thing which  terrified  him. 

Upon  one  of  the  four  beds  a  huge  man  was  stretched.  His  face 
was  almost  entirely  covered  by  a  disordered  beard;  his  clothes  were 
coarse  and  in  rags;  they  saw  the  end  of  a  revolver  under  his  pillow, 
and  in  his  sleep  he  put  his  hand  to  a  long  knife  which  he  had  in  his 
belt. 

The  Antwerpers  laughed  at  Kwik's  fear,  trying  to  convince  him 
that  this  person  was,  like  themselves,  a  guest  of  the  house. 

w  Speak  low,  Mr.  Creps !  "  whispered  Donatus.  "  Perhaps  you  are 
right;  still  it  may  be  dangerous  to  awake  that  ugly  giant.  Oh,  what 
a  country!  Three  dollars  to  have  one's  throat  cut  in  a  brigand's  den! 
Oh  that  I  was  only  in  our  hay-loft  at  Natten-Haesdonck! " 

The  others  agreed  that  it  would  be  best  not  to  awake  the  stranger, 
so  they  spoke  in  a  whisper. 

Suddenly  an  angry  expression  was  heard,  and  a  hollow  voice  ex- 
claimed in  English,  —  "Be  quiet  there!  Put  out  the  candle!  " 

Trembling  with  fright,  Kwik  extinguished  the  candle,  and  stam- 
mered, — 

"O!  get  into  your  beds,  and  talk  no  more!  " 

Victor  and  Jan  took  his  advice.  Creps  was  soon  asleep;  Rooze- 
man  was  alarmed  and  out  of  heart  at  the  savage  life,  at  the  rudeness 
and  coarseness  of  the  inhabitants,  and  he  remained  awake  a  long  time, 
thinking  of  the  events  of  the  evening.  As  to  Donatus,  he  dreamed  all 
night  of  assassins  with  long,  tangled  beards,  huge  knives,  and  six-bar- 
relled revolvers. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE    LETTER. 

KWIK  was  the  first  to  awake  in  the  morning,  but  he  had  scarcely 
opened  his  eyes  when  an  anxious  sigh  escaped  him,  and  he  put 
his  head  back  under  the  blanket  as  if  he  had  seen  a  phantom. 
The   bearded   man  was  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  his 
piercing  glance  fixed  upon  the  poor  fellow,  just  as  he  awoke  from  his 
heavy  slumbers.      Trembling  with  fright,  Donatus  secretly  grasped 
Creps'  hand,  who  was  snoring  beside  him,  and  shook  it  so  that  he  be- 
gan to  rub  his  eyes  and  grumble,  while  he  gazed  with  amazement  at 
the  stranger,  who  was  washing  his  hands,  and  said  in  English,  smil- 
ing?— 

w  Good  morning,  gentlemen ;  have  you  slept  well  ?  " 

*  Tolerably,  thank  you,  sir,"  replied  Jan. 

w  You  must  be  terribly  tired,"  replied  the  man,  as  he  continued  to 
wash  himself  and  comb  his  thick  beard.  w  I  thought  that  you  were 
probably  strolling  players." 

Donatus,  who  had  now  raised  his  head,,  stared  at  the  man  with 
mistrust  and  amazement. 

"  Strolling  players !  "  exclaimed  Creps,  who  had  got  out  of  bed : 
w  we  are  gold-seekers,  like  most  of  the  population  of  San  Francisco." 

*  You   see,  gentlemen,  that  young   fellow  there,  who  seems   to  be 
afraid  of  me,  has  been  talking,  singing,  crying,  flinging  his  arms  about 
all  night,  like  a  comedian  learning  a  part.     I  jumped  out  of  bed,  ran 
to  his  aid,  for  I  thought  one  of  you  must  be  killing  him." 

Jan  burst  out  laughing,  and  told  the  stranger  the  scene  they  had 
witnessed  the  previous  evening. 

37 


^8  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

"You  are  new-comers  here,"  said  the  other;  "I  can  well  under- 
stand that  you  are  afraid  at  the  sight  of  blood,  but  that  won't  last. 
While  waiting  here  I  advise  you  to  talk  as  little  as  possible  with 
strangers,  to  be  short  in  your  words  and  careful  in  your  actions, 
neither  meddling  with  nor  offering  assistance  to  anybody." 

While  they  were  dressing  Jan  continued  his  friendly  talk  with  the 
big  man.  He  was  by  no  means  so  repulsive  in  countenance  nor  so 
ragged  as  the  Flemings  had  taken  him  to  be  by  candle-light.  On  the 
contrary,  he  appeared  to  be  an  honest  and  well-educated  young  man. 
He  turned  to  Jan  and  remarked,  — 

"  The  sky  is  blue,  it  will  be  fine  to-day.     It  is  Sunday,  too." 

w  Sunday!  ah,  so  it  is!  "  exclaimed  Donatus.  "  I  should  like  to  go 
to  church  and  pray:  we  have  many  reasons  for  doing  so.  Mr.  Creps, 
ask  that  gentleman  where  the  church  is." 

Shrugging  his  shoulders,  the  stranger  replied  with  a  bitter  smile: 
w  In  California  there  is  no  other  God  than  the  god  of  gold;  his  temples 
are  the  gambling-houses  that  you  have  seen,  and  will  see  —  no  religion 
but  the  worship  of  self  and  thirst  for  gain." 

Saying  these  words  he  lighted  a  cigar,  then  he  offered  his  case  to 
the  friends,  and  insisted  on  their  each  taking  one;  then,  wishing  them 
"  Good-day,"  he  left  the  room. 

The  friends  all  agreed  that  their  first  impression  about  this  gentle- 
man had  been  quite  wrong,  and  that  he  was  by  no  means  so  formida- 
ble as  Donatus  especially  had  thought. 

As  this  was  the  day  they  had  fixed  for  writing  letters,  they  asked 
the  waiter,  after  breakfast,  for  paper  and  ink,  and  then  retiring  to  their 
room  set  to  work.  There  was  no  table.  Roozeman  and  Creps  had 
to  stand  and  write  against  the  wall.  Kwik  sat  on  the  ground  before 
Victor's  trunk,  on  which  he  placed  his  paper. 

Creps  had  finished  first.  After  waiting  some  time,  and  amusing 
himself  by  watching  Kwik,  he  said  to  Roozeman,  — 

"Come,  Victor,  make  haste  and  finish!  it  is  quite  possible  to  write 


JAN  READING  DONATUS'  LETTER. 


THE    LETTER.  4! 

a  volume  about  our  voyage,  but  in  that  case  it  would  take  you  till  to- 
morrow morning." 

"I  have  done,"  said  Victor;  "but  I  have  had  trouble  to  arrange 
my  words  so  that  my  mother  shall  not  guess  all  the  misery  we  have 
had  to  endure." 

When  Donatus  had  at  last  finished  his  letter,  he  approached 
the  two  friends,  holding  his  paper  in  his  hands,  and  exclaimed  in 
a  triumphant  tone:  ''When  Anneken's  father  receives  this  he  will 
believe  that  I  must  already  be  terribly  rich  to  dare  to  write  thus  to 
him." 

"  Let  me  see,"  said  Jan,  taking  the  letter.     w  It  is  rather  long." 
"  So  it  ought  to  be;  I   have  been  toiling  at  it  for  a  quarter  of  a 
day." 

Creps  tried  to  decipher  the  letter,  and  read  aloud, — 
w  ESTIMABLE  FATHER  OF  ANNEKEN,  —  This  is  to  acquaint  you 
that  I  have  arrived  in  California,  happy  and  in  good  health,  and  hope 
this  finds  you  the  same.  In  a  few  days  I  go  to  the  gold-well  to  take 
^  corn-sack  full  of  it ;  and  if  you  will  keep  your  Anneken  for  me  till  my 
return  I  will  make  you  as  rich  as  the  Scheldt  is  deep  at  Natten-Haes- 
donck.  You  know  that  Anneken  does  not  hate  me,  and  that,  poor 
child!  she  has  been  half  distracted  since  you  showed  me  the  door. 
You  have  not  a  grain  of  compassion  for  your  daughter  or  for  the  un- 
fortunate Donatus;  but  if  you  dare  to  give  Anneken  to  another  whilst 
I  am  in  the  gold  country,  I  will  have  you  turned  out  of  your  post  as 
garde-champetre,  and  to  your  great  grief  you  will  see  me  married  to 
the  young  lady  of  the  castle  that  you  might  have  lived  in  yourself  had 
you  wished.  You  have  your  choice  now;  consider  it  well.  Give 
my  compliments  to  all  friends. 

w  I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

w  DONATUS  KWIK, 

w  Gold-seeker  in  a  great  hotel  in  San  Francisco,  California" 


42  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

All  laughed  heartily  at  this  threatening  letter,  and  Roozeman  tried 
to  persuade  the  peasant  that  it  would  be  better  to  soften  the  terms  a 
little.  Donatus  would  not  change  a  word,  and  his  reason  was  that 
the  garde-champetre  was  an  obstinate  man,  from  whom  nothing  could 
ever  be  got  by  gentleness. 

While  Jan  and  Victor  were  addressing  their  letters,  Kwik  ex- 
claimed, — 

w  Oh,  gentlemen,  I  have  something  on  my  mind.  I  am  eating  and 
sleeping  here  without  troubling  myself  who  is  to  pay.  Everything 
here  costs  enough  to  ruin  a  man.  Ten  francs  to  carry  a  box  for  five 
minutes !  Perhaps  they  will  ask  us  a  hundred  francs  for  those  hard 
morsels  of  cow-flesh  they  served  us  yesterday  under  all  sorts  of  odd 


names." 


"  Do  not  be  unhappy  about  that;  we  will  pay  for  everything." 
"  You  are  very  kind,  and  I  thank  you;  but  I  am  not  a  leech.  This 
afternoon  I  shall  look  out  for  another  inn,  and  if  I  have  to  sleep  under  a 
sail  I  must  do  so.  It  seems  that  economy  is  more  necessary  in  this  gold 
country  than  in  Belgium;  and  I  think — excuse  me  for  saying  it  — 
you'd  do  best  too,  gentlemen,  to  seek  more  modest  quarters.  If  you 
don't  you  too  may  be  obliged  to  carry  travellers'  trunks  on  your 
heads." 

The  Antwerpers  acknowledged  that  Donatus  was  right,  so  they 
called  the  waiter  and  asked  for  their  bill.  In  a  few  minutes  it  was 
handed  to  Creps;  it  was  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  forty  francs  for 
beds  and  supper,  but  Victor  and  Jan  were  each  able  to  pay  the  sum 
demanded,  and  they  even  resolved  to  stay  another  night  at  the  hotel, 
ruinous  as  it  was.  They  had  thirteen  hundred  francs  in  bank-notes 
still  left.  They  had  slept  very  badly  last  night,  but  were  now  in  a 
house  where  the  people  were  honest  and  civil.  It  might  be  very 
different  elsewhere.  Donatus  should  remain  with  them  till  the  mor- 
row, when  they  must  seriously  ponder  what  course  to  pursue  until  the 
irrival  of  the  directors  of  the  "  Californian  Company." 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE    GAMBLING-HOUSE. 

THE  three  Flemings  walked  about  all  the  next  day  through  the 
streets  of  San  Francisco,  gazing  into  the  shops  and  stores,  and 
wondering  at  the  motley  crowd  of  strange  figures  in  the  midst 
of  whom  they  lived.  Although  at  that  period  more  than  fifty  thousand 
men  of  all  nations  of  the  earth  elbowed  each  other  there,  San  Fran- 
cisco only  consisted  of  one-storied  wooden  houses,  together  with  a 
few  tents  and  canvas  sheds,  which  extended  like  suburbs  into  the 
country. 

In  the  evening,  on  their  way  back  to  the  hotel,  they  passed  a 
gambling-house  with  the  sign  '  The  Verandah.'  A  brilliant  light 
shone  from  it  into  the  street. 

"  Why  should  we  not  go  in  ?  "  asked  Creps. 

:?  Yes,  why  should  we  not  see  what  is  going  on  there  ?  "  asked 
Donatus. 

"  Into  a  gambling-house !  "  murmured  Victor,  hesitating. 

"Come,  come!  we  needn't  gamble.  We  can  get  off  with  a 
dollar.  We  mustn't  leave  San  Francisco  without  seeing  what  a 
gambling-house  is  like." 

Victor  let  himself  be  persuaded,  and  followed  his  friends  into  the 
gambling-house,  where  they  sat  down  on  a  bench  in  the  corner. 
They  were  in  a  large  hall,  splendidly  lighted,  but  filled  with  tobacco- 
smoke  and  crowded  with  men.  Some  few  looked  like  honest  men, 
but  most  were  ruffians  in  appearance.  There  was  a  deafening  noise  of 
voices,  too,  heard  above  that  of  the  band;  which,  however,  only  con- 

43 


A/L  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

TT 

sisted  of  one  man,  a  flageolet  at  his  mouth,  a  drum  at  his  back,  brass 
cymbals  in  his  hands,  and  a  stick  with  bells  upon  his  head,  but  he 
made  more  noise  than  a  whole  orchestra  of  musicians. 

At  the  end  of  the  room  was  the  wide  gambling-table,  behind 
which  sat  the  banker  with  his  numerous  assistants.  The  game  they 
were  playing  was  a  Mexican  one  called  "  Monte,"  which  was  very 
fashionable  at  San  Francisco.  Heaps  of  gold-dust  were  placed 
before  the  banker,  as  well  as  nuggets  of  gold,  bundles  of  bank-notes, 
and  gold  coins. 

The  gamblers  stood  round  the  table.  Some  in  a  few  hours  lost  all 
the  gold  they  had  won  in  the  diggings,  others  were  marvellously 
favored  by  fortune.  One,  who  had  begun  to  play  by  staking  only 
five  dollars,  had  already  gained  twenty  thousand  in  less  than  an 
hour. 

"This  is  a  true  gold  mine  for  him  who  has  luck,"  said  Donatus: 
"who  knows  if  I  were  to  venture  that  I  might  not  have  a  chance? 
Two  dollars  will  not  make  much  difference  one  way  or  the  other." 

"Do  not  play,  I  beg  you,"  said  Victor,  in  terror. 

"Only  two  dollars:  if  I  lose  them  I  stop  at  once." 

"  A  few  dollars  will  make  no  difference  to  us,"  remarked  Creps. 
"  I  should  like  to  try  my  hand  at  this  game,  too." 

Victor  remained  seated,  watching  his  friends,  who  approached  the 
table. 

When,  half-an-hour  after,  they  returned,  Jan  was  laughing  with  an 
air  of  triumph,  while  Donatus  grumbled  that  he  had  lost  seven 
dollars  out  of  the  twenty-five  which  Victor  had  given  him  on  board 
the  "Jonas."  Creps  had  been  luckier;  at  one  moment  he  had 
actually  had  more  than  three  thousand  francs,  but  fortune  being  at 
last  declared  against  him,  he  had  on  the  advice  of  an  American  left 
the  table  with  still  about  five  hundred  francs  in  his  pocket. 

Jan  now  bought  wine  for  his  friends  with  the  money  he  had  won. 
While  they  were  drinking  he  urged  Roozeman  to  risk  a  couple  of 


THE    GAMBLING-HOUSE. 


45 


dollars,  just  to  see  whether  fortune  would  favor  him  or  no.  He 
laughed  at  his  friend's  horror  of  gambling.  Victor,  vexed  at  this, 
suddenly  got  up,  and  said,  "Well,  if  you  wish  it,  I  will  play;  but  on 
this  condition  —  I  shall  take  out  ten  dollars  only,  and  when  I  have  lost 
that  money  I  insist  that  we  all  return  to  our  hotel  without  staying 
here  a  minute  longer." 

*  Yes,  but  if  you  win  ?  " 

" I  shall  lose." 

"You  can't  be  certain  of  it." 

"  But,  Jan,  why  try  to  keep  me  here  ? "  said  Roozeman,  sadly. 
"  This  gambling-house  terrifies  me ;  whether  I  win  or  not  if  you 
refuse  to  follow  me  to  the  hotel  I  shall  go  alone." 

"Come,  don't  be  angry;  we  will  accept  your  condition." 

The  three  friends  approached  the  table.  Matters  went  as  they 
often  do;  fortune  declared  herself  in  favor  of  him  who  at  heart  hoped 
to  lose.  Roozeman  won  several  times,  and  as  he  laid  more  and  more 
on  the  table  to  get  rid  of  the  money,  pieces  of  gold  and  bank-notes 
^were  heaped  up  before  him  in  a  surprising  manner.  This  wealth  at 
last  blinded  him,  and  he  continued  to  play  as  if  he  did  not  know 
what  he  was  doing. 

As  to  his  friends,  Creps  continued  to  lose,  but  Donatus  had  a  good 
heap  of  dollars  before  him.  Fortune  was  favoring  Victor  in  such 
an  extraordinary  manner  that  the  banker  grumbled  as  he  threw  hand- 
fuls  of  gold  and  bank-notes  to  him.  All  surrounded  the  lucky  fellow, 
and  envious  eyes  were  cast  on  the  riches  he  had  won.  Victor  was 
too  absorbed  in  the  game  to  observe  them;  he  had  almost  forgotten 
that  his  friends  were  at  his  side.  Suddenly^he  heard  Creps  utter  a 
cry  of  rage. 

"I  have  lost  all,  I  have  not  a  single  dollar  left!"  he  muttered. 
"Quick,  Victor,  lend  me  a  couple  of  hundred  francs!  " 

But  Roozeman,  horrorstruck  at  his  friend's  wild  look,  put  the  bank- 
notes and  gold  which  he  had  won  into  his  pocket,  and  said  to  Jan,  — 


46  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

"No,  no!  let  us  flee  from  this  house.  Don't  play  any  more.  I 
am  off." 

Saying  these  words,  he  rushed  to  the  door  of  the  room,  his  friends 
followed  grumbling,  and  they  left  the  gambling-house  together. 

There  was  a  strange  hesitation  then  among  the  gamblers.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  disappearance  of  the  lucky  young  man  had  cooled 
the  ardor  of  most  of  them.  Many  left  the  place. 

The  Flemings,  meanwhile,  passed  through  the  dark  streets.  It 
was  very  late,  and  they  met  scarcely  anybody.  Roozeman,  it  was 
thought,  could  not  have  made  less  than  forty  thousand  francs,  and 
Donatus  had  still  about  eight  hundred.  Notwithstanding  Creps'  loss 
there  was  no  reason  then  to  be  dissatisfied  with  the  evening's  results. 
Roozeman  himself  began  to  rejoice  in  his  ill-gotten  treasure,  for  gold 
had  seared  his  conscience;  but  yet  he  declared  that  he  should  look 
upon  his  gains  as  belonging  to  a  common  stock. 

"  It  is  true,"  said  Jan,  "  that  when  the  directors  of  the  company 
arrive  at  San  Francisco  we  shall  not  want  for  anything,  but  mean- 
while we  can  live  comfortably  and  remain  at  our  hotel.  Besides,  this 
money  will  enable  us  to  hasten  our  return  to  our  native  country." 

"Forty  thousand  eight  hundred  francs!"  murmured  Donatus: 
"that  makes  thirteen  thousand  six  hundred  francs  each!  Well,  if  it 
goes  on  like  this  I  don't  see  why  I  shouldn't  buy  either  the  Castle  at 
Natten-Haesdonck  or  a  large  house  in  the  town." 

He  skipped  about  and  was  beginning  to  sing  with  glee  when  a 
blow  behind  threw  him  down.  With  the  sudden  thought  that  he  was 
to  be  robbed  of  his  money,  he  put  his  hand  into  his  pocket  and  rapidly 
slipped  his  money  into  his  boot. 

Both  his  friends  had  been  attacked  at  the  same  time.  Victor  was 
held  down  to  the  ground  by  three  or  four  men  while  two  others  rifled 
his  pockets.  He  had  succeeded  in  getting  his  arms  free  from  them, 
and  had  seized  hold  of  one  of  the  thieves,  when  a  dagger  penetrated 
his  side,  and  he  was  obliged  to  let  go  his  hold. 


THE    GAMBLING-HOUSE.  47 

But  just  then  voices  were  heard,  proceeding  from  a  side-street. 
At  the  sound  the  brigands  all  disappeared  in  the  darkness. 

Jan  hastened  to  Victor,  and  helped  him  to  rise,  but  when  he  felt 
the  warm  blood  on  his  hand  he  cried, — 

"Oh  Victor!    are  you  wounded?" 

"  Slightly;    it  will  be  nothing,"  was  the  reply. 

"Where?    where?" 

"In  the  side,  with  a  dagger;  don't  be  anxious." 

Creps,  terrified,  wished  to  knock  at  the  first  house  to  seek  for 
help,  but  Victor  said  he  had  quite  enough  strength,  and  insisted  on 
going  directly  to  the  hotel. 

Supported  by  his  friends  they  reached  the  hotel. 

Jan  made  his  wounded  friend  sit  down,  and  begged  that  a  surgeon 
should  instantly  be  sent  for. 

A  waiter  said  that  a  surgeon  lived  a  few  yards  from  thence,  and 
that  he  would  call  him. 

Though  the  blood  was  flowing  from  Victor's  wound,  yet  he 
laughed  and  tried  to  make  his  friends  understand  that  they  need  not 
be  alarmed,  as  his  wound  was  not  dangerous. 

The  surgeon  now  arrived,  and  began  to  dress  the  wound.  Then, 
when  he  had  helped  his  patient  to  dress  again,  he  held  out  his  hand 
towards  Jan,  saying,  — 

"  There,  gentlemen,  the  matter  is  plain  enough.  One  night  visit 
—  an  ounce  of  gold  —  sixteen  dollars,  please." 

"  Sixteen  dollars!  Very  well.  But  tell  us,  at  least,  what  we  have 
to  fear  or  hope." 

!C  There's  nothing  to  fear.  Half-an-inch  higher  up  and  the  young 
gentleman  would  now  have  been  in  trie  other  world;  but,  as  it  is, 
there's  nothing  serious  in  the  wound.  An  ounce  of  gold  —  sixteen 
dollars.  I  have  no  time  to  lose,  and  I  wish  to  go  to  bed. 

Roozeman  searched  his  pockets.  The  brigands  had  taken  every- 
thing—  gold  and  bank-notes.  Jan,  in  confusion,  besought  the  sur- 
geon to  give  them  a  little  time,  only  out  of  pity  for  their  misfortune. 


.g  THE    BOYS    OF   THE    SIERRAS. 

"Pity!"   replied    he,    laughing.      "Where    do  you    come    from? 

Pity  in  California!     What  a  joke!     Come,  come,  make  haste!     If  I 

am  not  paid  in  ten  minutes  I  shall  ask  double! " 

"But  we  have  nothing;  we  have  been  robbed  of  all." 

"You  have  probably  a  watch;  let  me   see  it,  I  will  take  it  as  a 

pledge." 

Creps  felt  for  his  watch;  but  that  had  also  disappeared. 

Donatus  had  listened  silently  to  this  conversation,  and  was  trying 
to  understand  the  sense  of  the  English  words  as  much  as  possible. 
When  he  saw  the  surgeon  stamp  with  rage,  while  the  hotel-keeper 
declared  that  he  would  no  longer  lodge  people  without  money,  but 
would  turn  them  out  of  doors,  Donatus  came  forward  and  said :  — 

"  I  have  money.     I  pay." 

He  stooped  down,  took  a  handful  of  gold  out  of  his  boot,  and 
handed  the  surgeon  the  sixteen  dollars.  The  hotel-keeper  was  sud- 
denly most  amiable  and  polite. 

"Ah,  Donatus!  "  said  Jan,  "why  did  you  leave  us  so  long  in  diffi- 
culty? Didn't  you  understand  what  was  going  on?" 

"Certainly,"  he  replied,  with  a  cunning  smile;  "but  I  am  begin- 
ning to  understand  that  one  can't  get  on  in  California  without  paying 
people  back  in  their  own  coin.  If  the  surgeon  had  gone  without 
his  money  we  should  now  possess  the  sixteen  dollars  we  have  just 
lost." 

Now  came  the  waiter  and  asked  for  the  five  dollars  he  had  been 
promised  for  going  to  fetch  the  surgeon.  Creps  reluctantly  had  to 
ask  Donatus  to  advance  this  sum. 

He  did  so  with  a  grumble. 

"  Come  along,  let  us  go  to  bed,"  said  Jan.  w  Notwithstanding  all 
our  misfortunes  we  have  still  reason  to  consider  ourselves  lucky.  The 
wound  of  our  dear  friend  Victor  is  not  dangerous,  thank  God.  We 
have  seen  enough  of  the  evil  of  gambling,  and  let  us  resolve  never  to 
enter  one  of  these  houses  again." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    WEAPONS. 

WHEN  Creps  awoke  next  morning  he  seized  his  friend's 
hand  and  anxiously  asked  him  how  he  was,  for  Victor's 
paleness,  caused  by  loss  of  blood,  alarmed  him. 

Victor  answered  gayly  that  he  hoped  to  be  well  in  a  few  days,  and 
to  confirm  his  words  he  leaped  out  of  bed;  but  this  rapid  movement 
caused  a  cry  of  pain  to  escape  from  him. 

"  Oh,  Victor,  surely  you  are  hiding  your  sufferings  so  as  not  to 
alarm  me!  This  misfortune  which  has  befallen  you  has  taken  away 
all  my  courage.  If  I  had  received  the  wound  I  should  not  care  so 
much;  but  you!  that  breaks  my  heart.  Oh,  that  we  had  only  stayed 
in  Belgium,  in  that  land  of  liberty,  of  justice,  and  security!" 

w  Do  not  trouble  yourself,  Jan,"  answered  Roozeman;  w  in  jumping 
out  of  bed  I  have  moved  the  bandages,  thereby  causing  myself  a  little 
pain." 

:r  This  morning  another  doctor  shall  carefully  examine  the  wound," 
murmured  Creps. 

"It  is  altogether  useless;  and,  besides,  we  have  not  the  money  to 
pay  the  surgeon." 

"But  Kwik  has  some,"  said  Jan;  and  in  saying  so  he  turned  his 
eyes  towards  Donatus'  bed.  w  Why,  the  bed's  empty!  "  he  exclaimed. 

w  He  got  up  early  and  dressed  quietly  so  as  not  to  awake  us,"  re- 
plied Victor.  :?  When  I  asked  him  where  he  was  going,  he  said,  ?  To 
look  for  the  end  of  his  ear!  ' 

Creps  suggested  that  as  Donatus  had  now  got  some  money  he  did 
not  care  to  pay  to  support  them  and,  had,  therefore,  quietly  taken 

49 


5° 


THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 


himself  off.  Roozeman  was  indignant  at  the  accusation;  he  asserted 
that  though  Kwik  might  be  coarse  and  stupid  sometimes,  that  he  was 
grateful  and  good-hearted. 

"We  shall  see,"  said  Jan;  "but  remember,  that  every  one  for 
himself  is  the  law  of  California,  and  that  we  breathe  in  this  horrible 
sentiment  with  the  air." 

Victor  still  defended  poor  Kwik,  and  then  they  talked  long  and 
sadly  over  their  future  prospects.  As  they  were  thus  chatting  Dona- 
tus  himself  opened  the  door. 

The  Antwerpers  were  struck  with  amazement  at  his  appearance  as 
he  stood  before  them,  a  red  sash  around  his  waist,  through  which 
were  passed  a  dagger  a  foot  and  a  half  long  and  two  revolvers.  He 
carried  under  his  arm  two  other  daggers  of  the  same  length,  and  two 
red  woolen  sashes;  he  held  his  head  erect,  and  tried  to  give  himself  a 
martial  appearance. 

:c  Where  do  you  come  from  ?  What  does  all  this  mean  ?  "  ex- 
claimed Creps. 

"  It  means,"  replied  Donatus,  drawing  out  his  long  knife  from  his 
belt,  "  it  means,  that  the  first  man  who  threatens  me  I  will  stick  as  if 
he  were  a  sucking-pig.  I  met  the  Red  Moustache  of  the  ' Jonas'  in 
the  street,  and  I  took  good  care  to  hustle  him;  but  he  pretended  not 
to  recognize  me,  otherwise  my  cold  steel  would  have  entered  his  skin^ 
as  into  a  white  cheese." 

"  But  where  did  you  get  these  arms  from?  " 

''Why,  I   bought  them,  of   course!      They   only  cost  a  trifle  of 
three  hundred  and  seventy-five  francs.     For  that  I  could  have  pur-j 
chased  the  whole  stock  of  a  gunmaker  at  Mechlin." 

:f  What  a  waste  of  money!  "  said  Creps,  reproachfully;  "just  at  the 
time  when  poor  Roozeman  is  wounded  and  needs  all  our  help." 

"Oh!  but  I  have  not  forgotten  that,"  Donatus  interrupted;  "but  to 
eat  is  not  the  chief  affair  in  this  country  as  it  is  with  us.  The  first 
thing  that  is  necessary  is  a  revolver.  This  long  knife  is  enough  for 


THE    WEAPONS.  51 

me;  the  revolvers  and  the  other  knives  I  have  bought  for  you.  Take 
them  and  praise  my  foresight:  you  will  get  more  profit  out  of  them 
than  from  a  good  dinner  and  a  soft  bed.  I  have  thought  of  every- 
thing. Here  are  the  belts  to  put  the  pistols  in.  Now,  at  all  events, 
we  can  go  about  the  streets  in  the  midst  of  these  rascals,  with  head 
erect  and  ready  to  defend  our  lives,  our  ears,  and  our  purses." 

"Have  you  no  more  money?"  asked  Victor,  anxiously.  *  We 
owe  nine  dollars  for  our  lodging  here." 

w  I  have  thought  of  all  that,"  said  Kwik,  with  a  cunning  smile;  "  poor 
Donatus  isn't  so  stupid  as  he  looks.  No!  no!  I've  done  a  good  stroke 
of  business  this  morning.  Mine's  a  long  story;  listen  while  I  tell  it 
you.  I  dreamed  all  night,"  he  continued,  "about  men  armed  with 
revolvers  and  knives;  and  in  my  dreams  I  howled  with  rage  because 
I  had  not  arms  to  defend  myself  with,  for  I  do  not  see  why  we  should 
allow  ourselves  to  be  slaughtered  like  sheep  by  these  Californian 
murderers.  So  I  decided  that  we  should  be  properly  armed.  One 
revolver  is  wanting,  because  I  had  not  enough  money.  I  am  not  so 
imprudent  as  you  think  me;  before  leaving  the  hotel  I  gave  the  land- 
lord nine  dollars  for  our  lodging  for  to-night,  and  another  three  hun- 
dred francs  to  pay  for  Mr.  Victor  during  the  next  week." 

;c  Thank  you!  thank  you,  Donatus!  you  have  a  good  heart!  "  cried 
Creps.  And  he  held  out  his  hand  to  him,  deeply  touched  by  his 
kindness. 

w  Let  me  go  on,"  said  Kwik.  "  In  California  one  has  to  be  cau- 
tious, and  act  quickly  two.  I  went  to  look  for  the  Brusseller.  I 
promised  him  two  dollars  to  go  with  me  and  give  me  his  advice.  I 
learned  a  heap  of  useful  things  from  him.  He  has  San  Francisco  and 
California  at  his  fingers'  ends.  I  asked  him  what  we  had  best  do,  so 
as  not  to  die  of  hunger.  In  the  harbor  there's  little  stirring  now,  and 
most  of  our  fellow-passengers  of  the  ? Jonas-'  have  got  employment 
there;  —  the  nobleman  of  our  mess  carries  deal  planks  on  his  back, — 
the  German  banker  draws  a  hand-cart  and  drags  bales  of  merchandise, 


^2  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

together  with  the  newspaper  editor  and  the  ex-magistrate.  Red 
Moustaches  picks  up  bits  of  broken  crockery,  bottles,  and  dirty  shirts 
for  an  old  Jew,  who,  as  a  rag-merchant  and  store-dealer,  has  already 
amassed  a  fortune!  A  new  cotton  shirt  costs  a  dollar,  and  for  washing 
it  one  must  pay  half  a  dollar.  Everybody,  therefore,  wears  his  shirt  as 
long  as  he  can,  and  then  throws  it  away.  The  Jew  picks  them  up, 
washes  them,  and  puts  them  up  for  sale  again.  And  the  same  with  the 
empty  bottles,  which  one  is  in  the  habit  of  throwing  out  of  the  window. 
The  gambling-houses  buy  back  the  bottles  from  the  Jew.  If  I  could 
not  find  a  better  employment  I  should  myself  become  a  Jew,  —  that 
is  to  say,  a  rag-merchant.  But  I  have  lost  the  thread  of  my  story. — 
The  Brusseller  knows  a  great  many  people  at  San  Francisco.  He 
went  about  with  me  to  seek  some  situation  for  you  and  for  myself.  I 
am  accepted  as  a  washer-up  of  dishes  and  plates  in  a  refreshment- 
room  at  five  dollars  a-day,  in  addition  to  my  board  and  lodging  in  a 
kind  of  kennel  among  the  provisions;  so  I  certainly  shan't  die  of 
hunger.  As  to  Mr.  Creps,  I  have  found  something  better  for  him, — 
assistant  to  a  butcher."  .  .  . 

"A  butcher's  boy!  "  exclaimed  Jan.  "  I  would  rather  harness  my- 
self to  a  hand-cart,  like  the  German  banker!  " 

"But  it  seems  that  the  butchers  do  a  strange  sort  of  business  here. 

o 

Before  the  door  of  one  I  saw  a  great,  ugly,  gray  beast,  with  terrible 
teeth.  I  was  thinking  that  perhaps  bullocks  had  hair  like  that  in  Cali- 
fornia, but  the  Brusseller  told  me  it  was  a  bear.  They  eat  bears' 
flesh  here!  I  am  not  surprised  now  that  the  people  are  so  wicked. 
You  will  not  be  a  butcher's  assistant  then,  Mr.  Creps  ?  But  I  have 
some  other  posts  for  you  to  choose  from.  There  is  a  good  place  as 
assistant  in  a  gambling-house,  with  eight  dollars  a  day.  I  know  of 
another  as  cleaner  of  boots,  washer  of  bottles,  and  lamplighter  in  an 
hotel,  facing  the  harbor,  —  seven  dollars  a  day,  without  board  and 
lodging." 

Creps  shook  his  head  impatiently. 


THE    WEAPONS.  53 

•f  You  oughtn't  to  be  so  particular,  Mr.  Jan,"  remarked  Donatus. 
'?  You  will  find  many  of  our  first-class  travelling  companions  employ- 
ing themselves  in  more  menial  offices.  Besides,  seven  dollars! 
What's  to  hinder  you  coming  to  sleep  at  the  hotel  here,  till  Mr. 
Roozeman  gets  better?  Three  out  of  seven  dollars,  and  four  re- 


main." 


:'You  are  right,"  said  Jan,  suddenly.  "Well,  I  will  be  a  boot- 
cleaner." 

"  And  have  you  found  nothing  for  me  ?  "  asked  Roozeman.  "  You 
don't  think  I  am  going  to  live  on  the  profits  of  your  labors! " 

"I  have  got  an  easy  and  good  place  for  you,"  said  Kwik!  "but 
probably  you  will  laugh  at  it,  —  that  of  a  shop-girl.  I  mean  to  say,  a 
clerk  at  a  fruiterer's!  " 

The  two  friends  burst  out  laughing. 

"It  is  serious.  —  quite  serious,"  resumed  Kwik.  "There  is  a  large 
tent  where  they  sell  oranges,  lemons,  figs,  and  other  kinds  of  fruit. 
The  proprietor  wants  some  one  who  knows  how  to  write  French  and 
English.  He  gives  six  dollars  without  board  and  lodging.  At  the 
request  of  the  Brusseller,  who  has  procured  him  many  customers,  he 
will  keep  the  place  vacant  for  five  days.  You  will  then  be  nearly 
well,  Mr.  Roozeman.  This  is,  at  any  rate,  a  pleasant  and  honorable 
post." 

"  I  thank  you,  Donatus,"  said  Victor,  "  I  accept  it  with  pleasure.'* 

"  Cleaner  of  boots  in  a  hotel!  "  said  Jan,  sneeringly. 

"  Plate-wiper  in  a  dirty  public  house! "  murmured  Donatus. 

"  Clerk  at  a  fruiterer's !  If  my  mother  and  Lucia  only  knew 
it!"  said  Victor. 

:?  What  does  it  matter?"  said  Kwik.  "As  soon  as  we  see  the 
mines  and  are  able  to  pick  up  gold  in  handfuls  all  this  will  be  forgot- 
ten; and  how  many  stories  I  shall  have  to  tell  to  Anneken  and  my 
children!" 

:'  Well,  we  won't  be  cast  down,"  said  Creps.     "  Our  friend  Rooze- 


CA  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

man  is  better  and  cheerful;  that  is  the  chief  matter.  Perhaps  the 
directors  may  come  this  very  afternoon;  however,  I  shall  go  presently 
to  my  hotel,  where  I  am  to  begin  my  work  as  shoeblack.  This 
afternoon,  at  two  o'clock,  I  shall  be  washing  plates  and  dishes  —  dab- 
bling in  greasy  water,  with  bare  arms." 

"  If  we  had  only  breakfasted,"  said  Creps,  "  I  should  then  feel  more 
courage." 

"  I  paid  for  breakfast  before  I  went  out  this  morning,"  said  Do- 

natus. 

"  You  are  a  marvel  of  foresight  and  kindly  feeling!  "  said  Jan,  gayly 
slapping  him  on  the  shoulder.  "  I  thought  you  were  playing  us  false, 
friend  Kwik." 

"Possibly,"  answered  Donatus:  "but  if  Mr.  Victor  had  not  been 
ill,  Donatus  probably  would  not  have  remained  awake  all  night  to 
reflect  on  what  he  had  best  do.  For  Mr.  Roozeman  I  would  do  any- 
thing." 

Roozeman  took  his  hand  and  pressed  it  gratefully. 

"  Come,  let's  breakfast,  then,"  said  Jan. 

"  Not  till  you  have  put  on  the  belts  and  revolvers,"  said  Kwik. 
"  These  weapons  must  not  leave  you  for  a  moment  now.  The  Brus- 
seller  told  me  so.  In  fact,  you  might  even  want  them  during  your 
sleep.  And  what  would  be  the  good  of  them  if  you  hadn't  them 
ready  at  the  moment  of  danger?" 

"Not  even  to  go  to  breakfast?"  exclaimed  Victor,  who  seemed  to 
regard  the  arms  with  horror. 

"Not  even  to  go  to  breakfast,"  said  Donatus.  "Those  villains  of 
last  night  may  still  be  at  the  table,  and  eager  to  pick  a  quarrel  with 
us.  But  come  along  now;  I  would  give  a  week's  wages  to  fall  in 
with  that  scamp  who  ran  off  with  the  tip  of  my  ear! " 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THE    SAVAGES. 

SOON  after  Victor  had  taken  his  place  at  the  fruiterer's  counter; 
his  wound  was  rapidly  healing,  and  caused  him  very  little 
trouble.  Creps  cleaned  the  boots,  rinsed  the  bottles,  and 
lighted  the  lamps.  Donatus  washed  the  cooking  utensils  and  helped 
the  cook  of  the  refreshment-room  in  his  large  tent. 

The  three  friends  always  met  very  late  in  the  evening  at  a  coffee- 
shop,  where  they  passed  an  hour  or  two  of  their  leisure  time.  Jan 
Creps  always  laughed  very  much  at  the  post  which  Kwik  had  got  for 
him.  He  appeared  the  least  content  of  the  three,  and  confessed  that 
the  blush  of  shame  often  rose  to  his  brow  when  another  servant  flung 
a  whole  heap  of  dirty  boots  at  him  and  told  him  roughly  to  make 
haste  and  clean  them.  His  only  comfort  was  that  his  fellow-shoe- 
black was  a  Frenchman,  who  had  driven  in  his  carriage  in  Paris,  and 
was  really  a  very  well-educated  and  honest  man. 

The  three  friends  had  money  enough,  not  only  to  live  very  well, 
but  to  save  a  good  many  dollars. 

The  Brusseller  often  came  to  spend  the  evening  with  Creps  and  his 
friends,  and  they  listened  eagerly  to  all  he  had  to  say  about  the  gold- 
fields.  The  pictures  he  drew  of  bandits,  wild  beasts,  and  especially 
of  savage  natives  who  scalped  their  victims,  were  by  no  means  en- 
couraging. 

At  the  request  of  the  Flemings,  and  especially  of  Donatus,  Pardoes, 
the  Brusseller,  told  of  his  conflict  with  the  terrible  savages,  and  in  such 
thrilling  words  that  Kwik  listened  with  beating  heart  and  bated  breath. 

Pardoes  had  first  gone  to  the  mines  in  the  south.  He  had  suffered 

55 


cj6  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

unusual  misery,  and  had  little  success  there.  Then  he  went  to  those 
in  the  north;  there  he  found  plenty  of  gold.  He  would  not  have  left 
them  if  the  rainy  season  had  not  made  the  gold-seeker's  labors  impos- 
sible. He  intended  to  return  when  the  season  was  more  advanced, 
and  when  he  had  made  enough  money;  for  he  wasn't  like  his  auditors, 
a  shareholder  of  the  Californian  Company.  He  had  to  make  his  own 
living,  therefore,  and  by  hard  labor  earn  the  money  necessary  to 
return  to  the  gold-fields.  The  friends  promised  to  help  him  as  soon 
as  the  directors  arrived,  for  they  would  have  no  other  use  for  their 


savings. 


Of  all  the  stories  and  adventures  which  Pardoes  had  told  them, 
that  which  made  the  greatest  impression  on  Kwik  was  a  narative  of  a 
battle  he  had  had  with  the  Californian  savages,  and  their  cruel  cus- 
tom of  scalping  the  heads  of  their  vanquished  enemies.  Perhaps  the 
loss  of  the  end  of  his  ear  had  something  to  do  with  his  fear.  He 
often  referred  to  the  story  of  the  savages,  and  finished  by  putting  a 
number  of  questions  to  the  Brusseller. 

"And  these  savages  —  have  they  really  red  skins?  " 

"  Of  course;  that  is  why  they  are  called  '  Red  Men.'" 

"  Yes ;  but  red  ?  —  really  red  ?  " 

"  Deep  red  —  almost  brown." 

"  And  are  they  ugly  ?  " 

"Horrible!" 

"And  do  they  shoot  with  poisoned  arrows?" 

r  They  are  said  to  dip  their  arrows  in  the  juice  of  a  poisonous  herb." 

"  And  they  really  cut  off  the  crowns  of  men's  heads,  with  all  the 
hair  and  skin  on  them?  Oh!  when  I  think  of  it  I  shudder  to  my  very 
marrow." 

T  Wait,"  said  Pardoes,  "  I  will  show  you  how  the  savages  scalp 
people;  for  that  is  the  name  which  they  apply  to  the  friendly  treatment. 
Remain  quite  quiet,  Kwik,  and  lower  your  head.  There,  this  is  how 
they  do  it!  " 


THE    SAVAGES.  57 

Thus  saying  he  seized  Donatus'  thick  hair  as  if  he  would  tear  it 
out,  and  with  his  thumb-nail  he  traced  a  circle  round  the  terrified 
young  man's  head.  Then  he  cried,  "  There,  you  have  no  longer  any. 
skin  on  the  top  of  your  head!  " 

Donatus,  who  feared  that  this  was  only  true,  raised  an  agonizing 
cry,  gazed  vacantly  round  him,  and  trembling,  looked  at  the  Brus- 
seller,  who  pretended  to  be  hiding  something  behind  his  back. 

A  long  peal  of  laughter  arose,  and  Donatus  himself  shared  in  the 
general  mirth  after  he  had  felt  his  head  and  assured  himself  that  it 
was  all  fun. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE    BANKRUPTCY. 

A  OUT  a  week  after  the  arrival  of  the  "Jonas,"  a  great  crowd 
rushed  down  to  the  port  with  eager  demonstrations  of  joy. 
It  consisted  of  the  passengers  of  the  "Jonas"  and  two  other 
vessels  which  the  Californian  Company  had  sent  to  San  Francisco. 
A  three-master  with  a  French  flag  had  been  signalled,  and  the  report 
had  spread  that  the  directors  of  the  company  had  arrived  at  last,  with 
the  tools  and  everything  necessary  to  conduct  the  shareholders  to  the 
diggings.  When,  after  a  long  delay,  a  boat's  crew  landed  in  the 
harbor,  a  cry  of  despair  and  rage  burst  from  the  crowd :  The  Califor- 
nian Company  had  failed,  and  no  longer  existed!  All  the  money  paid 
to  it  was  lost,  and  the  shares  which  the  passengers  held  were  not 
worth  a  halfpenny.  Was  it  a  gigantic  swindle  ?  or  had  the  company 
really  been  unfortunate?  However  that  might  be,  the  four  or  five 
hundred  members  of  it  at  San  Francisco  must  help  themselves  out 
of  their  difficulty  the  best  way  they  could.  Most  of  them  had  no 
money;  many,  who  had  been  too  lazy  or  too  proud  to  work,  had 
hitherto  lived  very  miserably,  and  slept  in  the  open  air  like  a  lot  of 
beggars. 

That  evening  the  Antwerpers  met  the  Brusseller  again :  they  nat- 
urally talked  of  the  bankruptcy  of  the  company,  and  of  the  new  posi- 
tion in  which  the  bad  news  had  placed  them. 

w  I  think  of  making  you  a  proposal,"  said  the  Brusseller,  "  if  you 
have  courage  to  accept  it.  Donatus  is  not  a  hero,  I  know,  but  he  is 
strong,  and  inured  to  fatigue  —  a  great  advantage  in  the  diggings. 
58 


THE   ARRIVAL   OF   THE   FRENCH   THREE-MASTER. 


THE    BANKRUPTCY.  6 1 

As  to  you,  Creps,  I  have  no  doubt  of  your  powers;  but  Roozeman, 
though  robust  enough,  does  not  seem  to  me  cut  out  for  a  life  at  the 
mines:  he  might  get  ill  and  become  a  burden  to  the  others." 

"What  are  you  saying?"  exclaimed  Kwik.  "Mr.  Victor  has 
more  courage  than  all  of  us.  If  you  had  seen  him  at  work  you  would 
alter  your  mind,  I  know.  Still  waters  are  deep,  friend  Pardoes." 

"Whether  there  is  truth  or  not  in  what  you  say,"  said  Victor, 
somewhat  hurt,  to  Pardoes,  "  I  mean  to  go  to  the  mines,  even  had  I 
to  go  alone,  and  were  the  dangers  a  hundredfold  greater  than  they 
really  are.  You  seem  to  look  upon  me  as  weak  both  in  mind  and 
body.  Can't  a  man  have  courage  unless  he  swears  and  speaks 
coarsely?  " 

*  Well,  let  that  be,"  replied  Brusseller,  "but  I  wish  to  do  some- 
thing for  you:  so  listen  to  me.  There  are  two  roads  to  the  mines: 
that  to  the  south  is  shorter  and  easier,  but  there  are  more  savages  to 
be  met  with  on  it,  which  our  friend  Kwik,  I  am  sure,  won't  relish; 
that  to  the  north  is  longer  and  more  arduous,  but  the  diggings  are 
richer  and  more  difficult.  What  urges  me  to  return  thither  is  an  im- 
portant secret  which  I  will  now  disclose  to  you.  Three  months  ago 
I  was  washing  gold  on  the  banks  of  the  Yuba  river.  I  had  to  leave 
because  the  rainy  season  made  work  there  impossible.  On  my  return 
one  of  my  companions  happened  to  be  a  Swiss,  who  was  ill  and 
wished  to  return  to  Europe.  I  rendered  him  every  service  on  the  way, 
and  on  one  occasion  I  saved  his  life  by  receiving  in  my  own.  arm  a 
blow  from  a  dagger  which  was  dealt  at  him  in  a  conflict  with  a  band 
of  highwaymen.  My  wound  was  severe;  but  the  Swiss,  wrho  wore 
under  his  clothes  a  leather  belt  full  of  nuggets  and  gold-dust,  was 
deeply  grateful,  and  to  reward  me  for  my  protection  he  told  me  that 
he  had  found  his  gold  in  a  place  hitherto  unknown,  where  the  nug- 
gets were  so  abundant  that  they  could  be  picked  up  with  scarcely 
any  labor.  This  spot  is  situated  on  very  high  ground  near  to  Sierra 
Nevada.  He  described  it  so  minutely  that,  knowing  the  country  so 


£2  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

well  as  I  do,  I  can  easily  find  it.  Well,  I  propose  to  form  a  company 
among  us,  and  to  go  together  to  these  mines.  Do  you  accept  this 
proposal?" 

"Yes!  yes!"  all  cried  with  joy. 

"  Very  well,  then,  I  will  look  out  for  one  or  two  strong  compan- 
ions —  for  we  ought  to  be  six  to  work  there :  two  to  dig  the  earth  up, 
two  to  carry  it  to  the  river,  and  two  to  wash  the  gold." 

"Oh,  Pardoes!    let  us  start  to-morrow!  "    cried  Donatus. 

"Not  in  such  a  hurry:  the  favorable  season  has  not  come  yet,  and 
we  are  not  ready." 

"But  why  lose  time?"  said  Victor.  "More  than  two  hundred  of 
the  shareholders  cheated  by  the  Californian  Company  will  start  to- 
morrow, either  to  the  north  or  to  the  south,  most  of  whom  don't  pos- 
sess five  dollars:  we  shouldn't  be  worse  off  than  they  will  be." 

"Let  them  go,"  said  the  Brusseller,  with  a  strange  smile;  "they 
don't  know  what  they  are  about.  Many  will  never  reach  the  dig- 
gings, and  I  shan't  be  surprised  if  we  come  upon  their  skeletons  in 
our  way  to  bear  witness  to  their  folly.  You  seem  to  think  that  one 
goes  to  the  mines  as  easily  as  from  Brussels  to  Antwerp.  You  will 
learn  by  experience.  Even  if  the  season  were  favorable  and  we  were 
ready,  I  should  postpone  our  departure  until  these  fellows  without 
money,  provisions,  or  necessary  tools  were  well  out  of  our  way. 
Hunger  and  misery  will  turn  many  of  these  men  into  robbers  and 
murderers,  for  here  there  is  no  law  but  violence,  and  the  strong  takes 
from  the  weak  whatever  he  wants.  So  I  shan't  start  this  time  till 
each  of  us  has  his  gun.  Revolvers  are  all  very  well  for  fights  at  the 
diggings,  but  on  a  journey  one  is  oftener  attacked  by  bullets  from  a 
distance,  and  guns  are  needed  for  defence.  Many  other  things,  too,  I 
shall  have  to  provide,  as  axes,  hatchets,  spades,  dishes,  plates,  sauce- 
pans, blankets  to  sleep  in,  a  sail  to  cover  our  tent,  and  many  other 
things  besides;  all  of  which  I  must  look  sharp  for  chances  of  pur- 
chasing cheap." 


THE    BANKRUPTCY.  63 

"But  when  shall  we  start,  then?"  grumbled  Kwik,  discon- 
tentedly. 

"  As  soon  as  the  weather  is  better  and  we  have  money  enough  to 
get  what  we  need.  You  have  not  saved  much  yet,  I  think?" 

"  I  have  forty-eight  dollars,"  cried  Kwik,  striking  his  pocket. 
'Yes!    but  Creps  and  Roozeman ? "    asked  Pardoes. 

" I  have  thirty." 

"And  I  twenty-eight,"  they  each  replied. 

*  You  are  richer  than  I  thought.  But  there  is  a  means  of  adding 
to  your  dollars.  Roozeman  has  a  trunk,  probably  well  furnished 
with  fine  shirts  and  other  linen.  Donatus  has  a  bag,  too.  Give  me 
the  contents  of  both  and  I  will  sell  them  at  a  very  high  price.  No 
one  wears  linen  at  the  diggings,  nothing  but  a  blue  or  red  flannel  shirt, 
and  one  never  changes  one's  clothes  there:  woollen  material  is  good 
both  against  cold,  damp,  and  heat.  Well,  it's  getting  late,  and  I  am 
tired.  Each  of  you  had  better  give  me  ten  dollars,  that  I  may 
begin  to  make  my  purchases  to-morrow." 

-Jan  and  Victor  gave  him  the  money  without  a  word.  Donatus 
fumbled  about  in  his  pockets  and  boots,  and  could  not  find  it,  and 
said  at  last,  "  I'm  sorry,  but  I  must  have  left  my  money  in  my  shed. 
You  shall  have  it  to-morrow." 

"Ah!  ah!  "  said  the  Brusseller,  laughing,  "you  are  not  quite  sure 
of  your  man!  you  fear  I  shall  run  off  with  your  dollars,  don't  you?" 

"Everything  is  possible  in  California,  you  said  yourself,"  said 
Kwik,  getting  up  quickly. 

The  Brusseller  struck  the  peasant's  pocket,  and  the  dollars  were 
heard  distinctly. 

"  Come!    come!    Yes,  I  have  them,  after  all.     Take  them!  " 

"  Now,"  said  Pardoes,  "  we  must  save  as  much  as  possible  to  be 
the  sooner  ready  to  start.  Don't  tell  any  one  of  our  plans,  or  about 
anything  which  I  have  told  you.  If  it  was  discovered  that  we  were 
going  to  some  unknown  and  rich  diggings  they  would  either  go  before 


64  THE    BOYS    OF   THE    SIERRAS. 

us  or  follow  us,  and  violently  dispute  our  possession  of  the  spot. 
There  is  every  chance  of  our  returning  from  the  mines  with  a  good 
load  of  gold.  Good-by,  then,  till  to-morrow." 

That  night  our  three  heroes  had  pleasant  dreams  of  the  heaps  of 
gold  they  were  about  to  find,  and  of  the  rich  and  happy  lives  they 
would  lead  when,  their  toils  and  troubles  over,  they  were  once  more 
comfortably  settled  in  their  native  land. 


i 


CHAPTER     IX. 

THE    GOLD-SEEKERS. 

RV.THER  more  than  a  month  after  this  six  weary  travellers  were 
walking  through  a  wide  and  solitary  valley  to  the  east  of  the 
Sacramento  river.  They  carried  heavy  knapsacks,  and  were 
laden  with  provisions,  axes,  spades,  blankets,  etc.;  one  carried  the  sail 
which  was  to  cover  the  tent,  another  the  great  saucepan  to  boil  the 
water,  and  another  the  large  trough  or  sieve  in  which  the  earth  con- 
:aining  gold  was  to  be  washed.  Each  had  a  gun  slung  behind  him, 
is  well  as  a  revolver  and  a  knife  in  his  belt.  They  must  have  been 
several  days  on  the  road,  for  they  were  dirty  and  muddy  from  head  to 
bot,  and  from  their  bent  backs  and  staggering  gait  it  was  easy  to 
*uess  that  they  had  walked  several  leagues  that  day. 

The  place  where  we  find  them  is  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  Sac- 
•amento  valley.  On  their  left  extends  avast  plain,  on  their  right  hills 
ind  mountains,  whose  summits  were  covered  with  cedars,  cypresses, 
ind  pines.  Some  leagues  behind  these  may  be  seen  rising  the  peaks 
>f  the  Sierra  Nevada,  covered  with  eternal  snow  and  ice. 

The  travellers  have  reached  a  spot  where  they  must  leave  the 
-alley  to  ascend  through  a  defile  between  two  hills  to  the  eastward. 
s[ow  the  sun  is  shining,  and  it  is  very  hot;  but  it  has  been  raining  .for 
everal  days,  and  the  muddy  and  slippery  ground  increases  the  diffi- 
ulties  of  the  march.  These  men  are  no  other  than  Pardoes,  with  his 
riends  Creps,  Roozeman,  and  Kwik,  and  two  new  comrades.  The 
irst,  who  keeps  mostly  at  Pardoes'  side,  is  an  Ostend  man,  who  had 
ailed  nearly  all  round  the  world  in  an  American  ship;  from  which, 
.owever,  he  ran  away  at  Callao  in  order  to  seek  for  gold  in  California. 

65 


66  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

This  fellow  is  very  much  like  a  bear,  coarse  in  language,  with  a  nar- 
row mind,  and  without  any  generous  feeling.  He  is  quarrelsome  by 
nature,  for  he  is  always  boasting  of  his  skill  in  combats  with  the  knife. 
He  has  lost  the  little  ringer  of  his  left  hand  in  one  of  these  encounters. 
The  Brusseller  had  chosen  him  owing  to  his  great  bodily  strength, 
which  would  enable  him  easily  to  bear  the  hard  life  at  the  mines, 
though  he  had  no  money.  The  second  was  a  French  gentleman  of 
about  forty,  tall,  thin,  and  with  regular  features,  evidently  a  man  of 
high  birth;  in  his  gait,  manner,  and  expression  of  countenance  there 
was  something  which  showed  that  he  was  well-bred  and  well-edu- 
cated, and  which  contrasted  strangely  with  the  coarse  and  ignoble 
face  of  the  Ostender.  Still  the  Frenchman  was  not  an  interesting 
companion;  he  only  spoke  when  he  could  not  politely  remain  silent, 
and  then  his  words  were  bitter.  He  might  often  be  heard  talking  to 
himself,  as  if  troubled  by  his  thoughts  or  by  an  uneasy  conscience, 
which  caused  Donatus  to  remark  that  he  had  a  screw  loose  in  his 
brain. 

Pardoes  had  admitted  the  Frenchman  to  their  company  because 
he  had  offered  him  all  the  money  he  possessed  to  join  them,  and  as 
this  was  enough  to  purchase  the  arms  they  still  required,  the  Flemings 
had  accepted  his  proposal  with  joy. 

Victor  was  the  only  one  who  showed  any  sympathy  for  this  gen- 
tleman; the  Ostender  was  Pardoes'  constant  companion;  Creps  ap- 
peared to  get  on  equally  well  with  all,  and  so  did  Kwik,  for  although 
he  carried  the  great  trough  on  his  back,  as  well  as  the  heaviest  burden, 
he  often  made  the  others  laugh  heartily  by  his  comic  and  witty 
remarks. 

As  they  ascended  the  valley  Pardoes,  who  always  went  first,  looked 
round  on  all  sides  as  if  he  feared  a  hostile  encounter,  examining  the 
ground  too,  and  looking  for  the  traces  of  footsteps;  but  the  others  paid 
no  heed  to  him,  as  he  had  done  it  from  the  first  day,  and  talked  as  if  a 
new  danger  was  to  meet  them  at  every  step.  Just  at  this  moment  the 


THE    GOLD-SEEKERS.  67 

Frenchman  slipped  down  on  the  wet  ground,  and  seemed  to  bend 
more  than  ever  under  his  burden. 

*  Well,  well,  Baron,"  cried  Donatus,  in  bad  French,  "  not  good 
with  that  knapsack  on  the  back?  More  good  at  Paris  in  the  carriage; 
isn't  it?" 

But  the  Baron  did  not  appear  to  have  heard  his  remarks. 

r?  It  seems  he  can't  understand  my  French,"  murmured  Donatus; 
"these  gentlemen  can  never  forget  what  they  have  been! " 

Slackening  his  steps,  he  wrent  up  to  Victor,  and  said, — 

"  Mr.  Roozeman,  why  won't  you  let  me  carry  your  hatchet  and 
blanket?  it  will  be  a  pleasure  to  me  if  you  will  relieve  yourself  a  little 
by  the  use  of  my  back." 

"Nonsense,  Donatus!"  said  Victor,  with  a  smile;  rc  you  are 
already  laden  like  a  mule.  That  great  basket  makes  you  look  like  a 
ship  without  a  sail.  I'm  looking  at  you  because  it  will  be  my  turn  to 
carry  the  baskets  to-morrow." 

f  You  won't  have  them." 

"  No  nonsense,  Donatus!  I  am  grateful  for  your  kindness  to  me, 
but  I  must  do  as  the  others.  It's  useless,  therefore,  to  speak  of  it. 
What  makes  Pardoes  look  so  eagerly  round  on  all  sides?" 

"Oh,  nothing,  I  believe!  What  lies  that  Brusseller  has  told  us 
since  we  started!  With  his  long  stories  of  highwaymen,  bears,  and 
savages  I  never  thought  we  should  be  alive  for  three  days;  yet  all  the 
time  we  haven't  seen  a  living  creature  yet,  except  a  hare  now  and 
en  in  the  distance,  or  small  stags  with  black  tails.  I  tell  you  what 
t  is,  Mr.  Roozeman,  the  Brusseller  wants  to  increase  his  importance; 
he  walks  before  us,  leads  us,  commands  us  like  a  general,  and  boasts 
how  needful  he  is  to  us.  I  wouldn't  mind  running  about  here  alone 
for  ten  years.  But  look,  what  has  Pardoes  found?" 

They  approached  him;  he  was  gazing  on  the  ground  without  mov- 
ing, and  said  in  a  whisper,  — 

w  Hush!  danger  threatens  us!  " 


58  THE    BOYS    OF   THE    SIERRAS. 

"  Do  you  see  any  gold?  "  asked  Donatus;  "  for  my  part  I  see  noth- 
ing but  grass  and  yellow  flowers." 

"  Hold  your  tongue!  "  said  Pardoes;  and  making  a  sign  for  them 
to  halt,  he  advanced  a  few  steps,  still  crouching  on  the  ground.  Then, 
turning  to  his  companions,  he  said,  — 

"  Get  your  guns  ready  at  all  hazards." 

"Well,  well!  what  is  going  to  happen?  I  don't  see  a  soul  about 
anywhere.  Those  pine-trees,  surely,  can't  be  going  to  eat  us!  " 

"None  of  your  nonsense,  Kwik;  it's  a  serious  matter.  Don't  you 
see,  gentlemen,  those  footsteps  on  the  grass  before  you,  and  on  that 
damp  place?  After  some  experience  in  such  matters  one  is  able  to 
guess  what  sort  of  people  have  passed  by  here,  and  how  many  they 
were.  Look,  the  impression  is  not  so  large  as  of  our  feet,  and  there 
is  no  trace  of  nails.  Mexicans  have  passed  by  here.  The  front  part 
of  the  foot  is  deeply  marked  more  than  the  heel.  They  were  running, 
then.  Peaceable  travellers  don't  run.  They  are  then  Salteadores,  or 
highway  robbers." 

"But,  look,"  said  Victor,  "the  footsteps  are  turned  towards  us. 
The  fellows,  then,  must  have  passed  behind  us,  and  are  going  away." 

"  Scarcely  an  hour  has  elapsed,"  said  Pardoes,  in  a  grave  voice, 
"  since  these  footprints  were  made,  and  as  I  have  not  observed  them 
before,  the  Salteadores  have  probaby  scrambled  up  somewhere  among 
the  hills;  so  hold  your  guns  ready  to  fire,  and  as  you  walk,  look  to 
the  right,  to  the  left,  behind,  and  before  you;  and,  above  all,  keep 
silence." 

They  walked  for  nearly  half  an  hour  without  hearing  a  sound. 
The  valley  had  opened  out,  but  they  were  again  about  to  enter  a 
narrow  defile. 

"Let  us  rest  a  few  minutes  here,"  said  the  Brusseller,  halting. 
"  I  entreat  you,  comrades,  to  keep  a  strict  lookout,  and  to  pay  atten- 
tion to  the  least  noise.  We  have  encountered  no  dangers  hitherto, 
because  I  have  taken  care  to  avoid  the  usual  gold-seekers'  route,  but 


THERE!   THERE!"    REPLIED   KWIK,    "A    WHOLE    BAND   OF    BRIGANDS! 


THE    GOLD-SEEKERS.  7  I 

now  that  has  become  impossible.  In  this  valley  the  paths  cross  each 
other.  If  there  are  Salteadores  or  bushrangers  about  we  may  fall  in 
with  them  at  any  moment.  Be  always  ready,  then,  to  defend  your- 
selves, especially  when  our  road  is  commanded  by  hills  or  woods,  as 
it  is  now,  and  will  be  for  some  time." 

They  continued  to  advance,  meeting  nothing  till  they  reached  the 
end  of  the  defile.  Then  Kwik  suddenly  jumped  behind  with  a  cry 
of  terror. 

"What  is  it?    what  do  you  see?  "  cried  the  others. 

"  There!  "   there!  "  replied  Kwik;  "a  whole  band  of  brigands!  " 

All  halted  and  got  their  arms  ready,  for  they  saw  before  them, 
partly  hidden  by  the  foot  of  a  hill,  four  men  leaning  against  the  trees, 
two  of  them  holding  long  guns. 

"Well,  what  shall  we  do?"  said  Creps;  "we  can't  remain  here: 
they  are  only  four,  why  be  afraid  ?  " 

*Yes,  but  prudence  is  as  needful  as  courage;  they  are  perhaps 
more  than  we  think:  let  us  watch  them  for  a  moment.  It  is  strange! 
they  certainly  have  observed  us;  and,  if  I  don't  mistake,  they  are 
laughing." 

"Come,  let  us  advance,"  said  Roozeman;  "retreat  is  impossible. 
If  these  men  want  to  attack  us,  they  can  do  so  in  any  case." 

"  Are  you  afraid,  Pardoes  ?  "    asked  Creps. 

"No,  no:  but  I  am  prudent.  You  don't  know  the  country.  But 
there  is  no  other  way.  Forwards,  then;  but  at  the  least  hostile  move- 
ment we  must  fire." 

They  continued  their  road.  When  they  passed  by  the  supposed 
brigands,  about  forty  paces  off,  these  did  not  stir,  but  remained  lean- 
ing on  their  guns  without  saying  a  word,  and  only  replied  by  a  short 
grunt  and  a  slight  nod  of  the  head  to  the  "Good-morning"  the  Flem- 
ings addressed  to  them.  Scarcely  were  they  half  a  gun-shot  off  when 
Donatus  exclaimed,  with  surprise,  — 

"  I  could  scarcely  believe  my  eyes !  There  was  the  Red  Mous- 
tache of  the  c Jonas  '  among  them!  " 


*2  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

"  You  made  a  mistake,  I  am  sure,"  said  Victor. 

"  Yes,  there  he  was,  flesh  and  bones,  but  without  his  thick  whis- 
kers, which  he  probably  had  cut  off  at  San  Francisco.  He  was  one 
of  those  without  guns.  So  this  red-haired  rogue  has  become  a  high- 
wayman! I  always  said  he  deserved  the  rope." 

"They  are  not  robbers,"  said  Victor,  laughing;  "don't  you  see 
they  are  only  men  resting  a  little  ?  " 

"  Not  robbers  ?"  replied  the  Brusseller,  still  looking  behind  him. 
"One  can  easily  perceive  it  is  the  first  time  you  have  travelled  in 
California.  If  these  men  were  going  to  the  diggings  they  would  be 
charged  with  tools  as  we  are;  if  they  were  returning,  they  would 
certainly  carry  provisions;  besides,  I  can  tell  by  their  dress.  You 
may  believe  what  you  like,"  he  continued,  "but  they  are  robbers;  and 
these  strange-looking  fellows  are  probably  only  a  portion  of  the  band. 
Rogues  of  their  profession  rarely  attack  travellers  going  to  the  dig- 
gings, because  they  have  no  gold  then;  but  I  conclude  they  are  wait- 
ing on  the  lookout  for  gold-seekers  returning  from  the  mines.  At 
all  events,  their  presence  here  is  a  bad  sign.  Let  us  advance  a  little 
quicker,  keeping  a  sharp  lookout;  for  any  tree,  any  bend  in  the  hill, 
any  cleft  of  a  rock,  may  hide  enemies,  who  may  rush  down  upon  us 
at  the  moment  when  we  least  expect  it.  Above  all,  keep  silence; 
you,  Donatus,  pay  attention  to  this.  I  must  act  like  a  commander  in 
war  time,  and  if  you  don't  hold  your  tongue  I  shall  punish  you  by 
making  you  do  double  night  duty  as  sentinel.  Forwards,  then,  and 
be  on  your  guard !  " 

Silently,  and  with  hasty  steps,  the  travellers  followed  their  guide. 


CHAPTER    X. 

THE    BUSHRANGERS. 

A  an  hour  before  nightfall  the  Flemish  gold-seekers  were  still 
marching  onwards;  but  their  backs  were  more  bent,  and  they 
seemed  almost  wearied  out.     They  had  had  a  hard  day,  and 
longed  to  pitch  their  tent  and  rest  till  to-morrow.     But  Pardoes  had 
refused  to  grant  the  general  wish  of  his  companions,  for  their  route 
was  too  much  overlooked  by  hills  and  rocks,  from  which  they  might 
easily  be  attacked  unawares. 

They  had  reached  avast  plain;  here  they  had  an  extensive  view 
on  all  sides  except  to  the  left,  where  bushes  and  fir-trees  stood.  A 
clear  brook  ran  through  the  midst.  It  seemed  a  good  spot  to  encamp 
for  the  night  and  to  prepare  the  supper.  Pardoes  was  the  only  one 
who  had  any  fear  of  danger. 

The  knapsacks  were  taken  off,  and  while  Creps  and  the  Baron  re- 
mained to  guard  the  provisions  and  tools,  the  others  went  to  collect 
firewood. 

The  latter  soon  returned,  and  in  a  short  time  the  tent  was  erected, 
and  Donatus,  whose  turn  it  was  to  cook,  had  kindled  a  fire,  over 
which  hung  a  saucepan  full  of  water. 

While  Donatus  was  busy  over  the  fire  the  others  were  stretched 
on  the  ground  under  the  sail,  each  wrapped  in  a  blanket  with  his 
knapsack  as  a  pillow.  The  Brusseller  and  the  sailor  were  smoking 
their  pipes,  the  Frenchman  seemed  asleep,  Jan  and  Victor  were 
watching  Donatus,  and  laughing  at  his  awkward  movements  as  he 
made  coifee  and  fried  bacon. 

73 


„ 4  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

Night  was  coming  on,  and  the  horizon  had  already  disappeared  in 
the  twilight.  When  the  smell  of  the  bacon  rose  to  Donatus'  nostrils 
his  mouth  watered,  and  he  began  to  sing  a  Flemish  song  with  no  little 

glee. 

Then  raising  a  tin  plate  in  the  air,  he  showed  the  rasher  to  those 
who  were  lying  under  the  tent,  exclaiming,  — 

"  Look,  gentlemen !  I  came  from  the  land  of  dainties !  Who  could 
make  me  so  brown,  so  fat,  so  " 

But  a  pistol-shot  was  heard  a  few  steps  from  the  tent;  a  bullet 
pierced  the  tin  plate  in  Donatus'  hand,  and  he,  raising  a  loud  cry,  let 
the  bacon  fall  into  the  fire. 

The  others  sprang  up,  their  weapons  in  their  hands,  hastening  out 
of  the  tent  to  defend  themselves  against  the  attack  which  the  pistol- 
shot  had  announced. 

"Yonder!  yonder!  "  cried  the  sailor;  "between  the  trees!  a  man 
running  away! " 

"  Stay  here,  Donatus,  your  gun  in  your  hands  and  ready  cocked," 
said  the  Brusseller,  as,  followed  by  the  others,  he  ran  towards  the 
wood  to  keep  the  fugitive  within  gun-shot  if  possible. 

Kwik,  completely  stupified,  stood  before  the  fire,  his  gun  in  his 
hand.  His  head  turned,  and  he  grumbled  angrily  between  his 
teeth,  — 

"  A  fine  feast,  truly!     Oh  if  I  were  only  at  Natten-Haesdonck!  " 

Suddenly  he  began  to  tremble  all  over;  he  seemed  to  see  right 
before  him,  in  the  twilight,  some  men  approaching  him,  bending 
down  among  the  thick  wild-mustard  plants.  Soon  there  was  no  doubt 
about  it;  one  of  his  foes  now  stood  erect.  Donatus  levelled  his  gun, 
and  raising  his  eyes  to  heaven  said,  "  O  God !  pardon  me :  it  is  not 
my  fault."  After  this  short  prayer  he  fired ;  a  piercing  cry  was  heard, 
and  the  man  fell  backwards. 

The  other  robbers  rushed  forward  to  attack  Donatus,  but  he  fired 
so  sharply  upon  them  with  his  revolver  that  they  seemed  to  hesitate. 


DONATUS    LEVELS   HIS   GUN. 


THE    BUSHRANGERS. 


77 


At  this  moment  two  or  three  shots  were  heard  from  among  the 
trees,  and  several  bullets  whistled  through  the  air  over  the  heads  of 
the  surprised  bushrangers.  They,  seeing  that  their  attack  had  failed, 
and  that  they  had  to  contend  with  superior  forces,  fled  hastily  through 
the  tall  grass,  and  disappeared  among  the  brushwood. 

It  was  Donatus'  comrades,  who  had  hastened  up  when  they  heard 
him  fire,  and  by  their  timely  appearance  had  driven  away  the 
robbers. 

"My  poor  Kwik,  are  you  wounded?"  asked  Victor,  as  he  saw  the 
peasant's  sad  and  dejected  air. 

"No,  Mr.  Roozeman,"  sighed  Donatus;  "worse  than  that!  I  have 
killed  a  man,  alas!  one  of  God's  creatures  like  myself.  That  will 
weigh  upon  my  conscience  like  a  block  of  lead." 

"What!  killed  a  man?     Where?"  asked  Pardoes. 

"  He  fell  down  yonder,  about  fifty  paces  off,  in  the  midst  of  that 
tall  grass." 

"Well,  take  us  there;  we  shall  see  whether  you  haven't  been 
dreaming." 

-Arrived  at  /he  spot  they  found  that  some  one  had  really  fallen 
there,  for  the  moisture  on  the  ground  was  likely  enough  to  be  blood. 

The  Brusseller  ran  to  the  tent,  returning  with  a  lighted  pine- 
brand,  which,  flaring,  showed  the  blood  on  the  ground. 

"Follow  the  tracks  with  me,"  said  he;  "but  keep  a  good  lookout 
on  all  sides,  and  hold  your  guns  ready.  See;  there  were  three,  and 
two  supported  a  wounded  man.  The  blood  has  dropped  all  along  by 
their  footsteps;  the  fellow  was  probably  wounded  in  the  arm." 

"  The  poor  man  isn't  dead,  then  ?  "  asked  Kwik,  with  great  joy. 

"No;  for  he  was  able  to  run." 

"Thank  God!  "    said  Donatus. 

"It  is  useless  to  go  any  further,"  said  the  Brusseller,  turning 
round;  "the  rascals  have  fled  into  the  wood  with  their  wounded 
companion,  and  they  are  probably  already  a  long  way  off;  so  come, 


ng  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

and  let  us  return   to   our  tent.     Tell  me,  Kwik,  had  these  robbers 
guns?" 

"Two  of  them  had,  and  each  of  them  fired  at  me.  A  bullet 
grazed  my  hair." 

"Plainly  enough  they  were  four,  then,"  said  Pardoes;  "two  only 
had  guns.  They  are  the  same  men  that  we  saw  this  afternoon  under 
the  trees.  They  followed  our  footsteps  at  a  distance  that  they  might 
surprise  us  in  our  tent." 

"They  must  be  bold  fellows,"  remarked  Creps;  "they  knew  that 
both  as  to  numbers  and  arms  we  were  stronger  than  they,  and  yet 
they  were  not  afraid  to  attack  us." 

"Yes;  but  you  don't  know  their  cunning  tricks,"  said  the  Brus- 
seller,  "  and  I  was  stupid  enough  to  be  caught  when  I  ought  to  be  up 
to  them.  The  man  who  fired  the  pistol-shot  close  to  the  tent  only 
wanted  to  alarm  us  and  draw  us  after  him  far  from  our  encampment. 
Fortunately,  I  left  Donatus  on  guard,  otherwise  this  decoy-bird's 
comrades  would  have  pillaged  our  tent  during  our  absence.  This  is 
an  old  trick  of  poor  and  famished  gold-seekers,  who  thus  try  to 
obtain  provisions,  tools,  and  blankets.  Our  friend  Kwik  has  proved 
himself  a  good  and  brave  sentinel." 

On  returning  to  the  tent,  Donatus  resumed  cooking  his  fritters, 
while  the  others  drank  hot  coffee  in  tin  saucers,  in  which  they  soaked 
the  little  biscuit  which  remained  to  them. 

Kwik  grumbled  over  his  cooking.  He  thought  over  the  double 
danger  which  had  threatened  him,  —  to  have  to  shoot  down  a  Christian 
like  a  dog  or  to  receive  a  bullet  in  his  own  head.  The  first  alter- 
native filled  him  with  horror,  the  second  did  not  please  him  much 
better.  Good  as  the  smell  of  the  fritters  was  they  no  longer  tempte< 
him. 

"Horrid  cookery!"  he  muttered:  "to  come  thousands  of  miles 
to  eat  fritters  peppered  with  bullets  and  sprinkled  with  human  blood! 
IX  .  *  fa*  I  Donatus,  my  boy !  you  are  a  stupid  ass !  What  are  yoi 


THE    BUSHRANGERS. 


79 


doing  here  ?  Natten-Haesdonck  is  an  earthly  paradise  in  comparison 
with  this  nest  of  brigands;  cooks  can  work  in  peace  there." 

But  at  last  supper  was  ready;  each  took  his  portion.  The  Baron, 
who  mounted  guard,  was  relieved  after  a  few  minutes  by  Creps. 
When  they  retired  to  rest  under  the  sail  the  Brusseller  said,  — 

"Try  to  get  a  good  night's  rest,  my  friends,  for  at  dawn  to-morrow 
we  must  be  on  foot.  The  rascals  who  attacked  us  are  no  longer  to  be 
feared.  If  no  other  dangers  arise  we  shall  not  be  disturbed  all  night. 
You  know  your  turns  to  mount  guard.  After  the  Baron,  Roozeman, 
then  the  Ostender,  and  so  on,  hour  by  hour.  The  Baron  will  give 
his  watch  to  his  successor.  Take  care  not  to  make  any  noise,  and 
only  wake  your  comrade  whose  turn  it  is  to  act  sentry.  Keep  your 
eyes  and  ears  well  open.  If  you  see  or  hear  anything  fire  at  once, 
and  each  of  us  will  jump  up,  ready  to  act  on  the  defensive.  Silence, 
now.  Good-night;  sleep  well." 

Notwithstanding  the  excitement  of  the  day  the  gold-seekers  soon 
yielded  to  their  fatigue,  and  slept  so  soundly  that  their  snorings  made 
their  tent  sound  like  a  den  of  bears. 

Donatus  alone  kept  turning  in  his  blankets,  and  moving  about 
restlessly,  unable  to  sleep.  After  an  hour  and  a  half's  discomfort  he 
heard  Jan  Creps,  who  was  sleeping  close  to  him,  sneeze  twice. 

"Ah,  Mr.  Jan,  are  you  awake?"  murmured  Kwik,  in  a  piteous 
tone. 

"What's  the  matter,  Donatus;  are  you  ill?"  asked  Creps, 
sleepily. 

w  I  can't  close  an  eye." 

"  Bah !    you  must  sleep." 

"  I  can't,  Jan." 

"Try,  and  you  will  at  last." 

"All  my  ribs  feel  as  if  they  were  broken;  I  am  wriggling  like  an 
eel  on  a  gridiron." 

''What  are  you  thinking  about  to  make  you  feel  thus?  " 


8o 


THE    BOYS    OF   THE    SIERRAS. 


"  I  keep  thinking  and  thinking  to  myself,  sleep  is  all  very  well  if 
I  knew  that  I  should  awake  alive  in  the  morning! " 

w  Leave  me  alone,  you  bother  me,  Donatus." 

"Very  well,"  said  Kwik,  sighing;  "if  it  cannot  be  otherwise  1 
will  say  another  '  Our  Father,'  and  then,  by  God's  mercy,  perhaps  I 
shall  get  some  sleep  and  begin  to  snore  like  the  others." 


"GOLD!  GOLD!   I  HAVE  FOUND  A  TREASURE!' 


CHAPTER    XL 

THE    NUGGET. 

THE  next  day,  at  sunrise,  after  having  taken  some  coffee  and 
eaten    some    lard    cakes,  the    gold-seekers  started    off.     The 
greater  part  of  the  day  passed  without  anything  particular  hap- 
pening.    Their  road  led  them  across  a  dreary  valley  and  mountains, 
sometimes  giving  place  to  a  vast  plain,  at  others  narrowing  so  as  to 
form  a  defile  in  which  the  rocks  seemed  ready  to  crumble  down  upon 
the  travellers. 

In  the  afternoon,  whilst  his  companions,  after  having  laid  down 
their  knapsacks,  were  resting  upon  the  ground  to  take  a  little  repose, 
Donatus  went  to  a  stream  about  a  hundred  paces  off.  He  was  thirsty 
and  wished  to  drink.  As  he  was  bending  dowrn  to  the  brook,  clear 
as  crystal,  he  saw  something  glittering  in  the  water.  It  was  a  pebble 
as  large  as  his  fist,  which  appeared  to  be  split  in  the  middle. 

The  young  peasant's  heart  began  to  beat  violently;  he  turned  pale 
and  remained  completely  still,  gazing  at  the  glittering  object.  Never- 
theless, he  seized  the  pebble,  examined  it  thoroughly,  kissed  it  with 
transport,  then  ran  back  to  his  companions,  raising  cries  of  joy,  and 
cutting  all  kinds  of  capers  and  antics. 

"Gentlemen,"  cried  he  to  them  from  afar,  "thank  God  I  have 
found  a  treasure!  Gold!  gold!  a  block  of  at  least  ten  pounds  weight! 
enough  to  buy  a  castle!  "  He  stumbled  and  fell  down  head  foremost. 

"Gold!  ten  pounds  weight!     Is  it  possible?"  asked  Victor. 

"Certainly  it  is  possible,"  answered  the  Brusseller;  "it  is  thus  that 
the  largest  nuggets  are  often  found.  If  only  Kwik  had  discovered  a 
rich  field!" 

83 


34  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

"Make  haste,  make  haste,  dear  Kwik!"  cried  Creps,  with  joyous 
impatience. 

Donatus  ran  up  breathless  and  gasped, —  "Look!  look  what  a 
large  block!  Ah!  heavy,  heavy!  heavier  than  lead!  " 

At  these  words  he  gave  the  golden  pebble  to  the  Brusseller,  who, 
after  having  examined  it,  threw  it  wTith  all  his  might  into  the  plain, 
saying,  with  contempt  and  disappointment,  — 

"  Triple  fool  that  you  are,  Kwik!  " 

"Was  it  not  gold?"  the  other  asked. 

"Gold?  It  was  a  piece  of  sulphur-stone  of  the  kind  called  pyrites, 
and  it  only  contained  iron  and  sulphur." 

"You  oughtn't  to  be  so  angry  with  me  for  that,"  pleaded  Donatus, 
as  they  took  up  their  knapsacks  to  resume  their  journey.  "  I  lose  by 
it  as  much  as  you.  Surely  others  than  I  have  been  deceived,  too. 
Why,  is  there  not  a  proverb,  '  All  that  glitters  is  not  gold  ? '  Come, 
come,  we  are  not  poorer  than  we  were  before.  If  there  are  no  nug- 
gets here  we  shall  find  some  further  on." 

They  soon  recovered  this  disappointment.  After  about  four  miles 
further  walk  they  reached  a  forest  of  thorny  brushwood,  scarcely  high 
enough  to  conceal  a  tall  man  standing  upright. 

Suddenly  the  sailor  stopped,  and  raised  his  gun  as  if  about  to  fire. 

*  What  do  you  see?  "  asked  the  others  in  surprise. 

rf  There!  a  human  head,  —  some  one  watching  us  and  hiding  in 
the  bushes!" 

"  Where  ?     We  see  nothing." 

The  sailor's  only  reply  was  to  take  aim  and  send  a  bullet  among 
the  trees. 

A  cry  of  agony  was  heard,  and  immediately  after  from  the  brush- 
wood arose  a  pitiful  voice,  weak  and  gentle  as  if  of  a  woman  or  child. 

'You  have  done  some  mischief,"  cried  Victor,  touched  to  the 
heart  by  the  sound  of  the  voice.  "  Come,  come,  friends,  let  us  hasten 
to  the  assistance  of  the  poor  victim." 


THE    NUGGET.  85 

They  all  hurried  into  the  brushwood,  with  the  exception  of  the 
sailor,  who  probably  said  that  they  were  acting  imprudently,  and  re- 
mained where  he  was. 

The  others  found  in  a  small  open  space  among  the  bushes  the  body 
of  a  man  whose  forehead  had  been  pierced  by  a  ball.  Bending  over 
the  corpse  was  a  lad  of  fourteen  or  fifteen,  who  was  embracing  the 
dead  man,  shedding  tears  upon  his  disfigured  face,  and  was  so  thor- 
oughly maddened  by  grief  and  despair  that  he  did  not  at  first  remark 
the  presence  of  the  strangers. 

By  their  costume  they  perceived  at  once  that  these  people  were 
Mexicans,  and  as  the  lad  kept  repeating  in  a  heartrending  tone  the 
words  w Pobre  Padre!"  they  knew  that  he  was  weeping  over  his 
father's  corpse. 

The  Baron,  who  understood  a  little  Spanish,  asked  him  how  it  was 
that  they  were  travelling  thus  alone  and  unarmed  in  this  dangerous 
country. 

The  Baron  could  not  very  well  understand  the  short  and  broken 
words  in  which  the  young  Mexican  replied,  but  he  made  out  that 
these  unfortunate  people  had  already  been  attacked  and  plundered, 
and  that  they  had  lost  their  companion  in  their  flight. 

The  boy  was  out  of  his  senses  with  grief  and  rage  against  the  as- 
sassins of  his  father,  whom  he  regarded  as  thorough  highway  robbers; 
for  he  spoke  with  great  rapidity  and  violent  gestures,  pointing  with 
his  finger  to  heaven,  while  his  flashing  eyes  were  turned  now  on  to 
the  lifeless  body,  now  on  the  group  of  travellers,  whom  he  loaded 
with  curses. 

:'  What  does  he  say?  "  asked  the  Brusseller. 

"  He  is  calling  down  the  vengance  of  heaven  upon  us,  assuring  us 
that  his  father's  spirit  will  follow  us,  and  never  leave  us  a  moment's 
rest  till  our  deathbed." 

"  May  God  have  mercy  upon  us!  "  sighed  Donatus.  "  More  trou- 
bles in  store  for  us!  We  have  already  had  to  fear  evil  men  and 


86  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

ferocious  beasts,  and  now  spirits  too  are  to  be  banded  against  us!  To 
think  of  sleeping  quietly  with  such  terrible  curses  on  our  heads!  " 

"Don't  stand  there  so  terrified,"  cried  the  Brusseller;  "take  up 
your  spade:  we  must  bury  the  unfortunate  Mexican." 

The  boy  sat  crouching  in  the  grass,  and  with  glassy  eyes  watched 
the  motions  of  those  whom  he  regarded  as  bandits.  Tears  flowed 
down  his  cheeks,  while  his  thirst  for  vengeance  seemed  a  little  cooled. 
Perhaps  the  care  of  the  strangers  in  not  leaving  his  father  unburied 
made  him  doubt  whether  these  were  really  enemies  who  surrounded 
him,  and  who  tried  to  comfort  him  with  words  of  sympathy. 

Donatus  with  horror  turned  away  his  eyes  from  the  dead  man's 
face.  When  he  had  to  help  to  lay  the  corpse  in  the  trench  he  trem- 
bled from  head  to  foot.  Overcome  by  his  trouble,  he  fell  on  his  knees 
beside  the  tomb,  and  began  to  pray,  while  the  others  covered  the  body 
with  stone  and  earth. 

When  the  grave  was  filled  up  the  Brusseller  asked,  w  Well,  com- 
rades, what  shall  we  do  with  this  child?" 

"  Do  with  him?  "  replied  Victor;  w  why,  we  must  take  him  with  us 
to  the  diggings,  take  good  care  of  him,  and  when  we  have  a  chance 
find  means  for  him  to  return  to  his  home." 

*  That  will  be  a  great  burden  to  us." 

*  What  does  that  matter?     After  having  killed  his  father  we  could 
not  be  so  cruel  as  to  leave  this  poor  boy  in  the  wilderness  a  prey  to 
wild  beasts.     Even  had  I  to  carry  him  on   my  shoulders  I  should  do 
so  till  I  brought  him  to  a  place  of  safety." 

"  It  is  troublesome,  but  you  are  right.  Baron,  make  him  under- 
stand that  he  is  to  follow  us." 

The  young  Mexican  got  up  and  obeyed;  he  walked  with  his  head 
bent  down,  and  seemed  indifferent  to  his  fate.  However,  when  he 
reached  the  plain  he  pointed  his  finger  at  the  sailor  and  uttered  some 
words  in  Spanish,  which  gave  them  to  understand  that  he  recognized 
his  fathers  murderer.  But  he  soon  grew  calm  again,  turning  his 


- 


THE    NUGGET.  87 

fiery  eyes  downwards,  and  followed  his  guides  with  apparent  sub- 
mission. 

"Come  on,  gentlemen,"  said  Pardoes;  w  don't  trouble  yourself  any 
longer  about  that  boy:  we  must  make  up  for  the  time  we  have  lost." 

They  were  continuing  on  their  road,  when  suddenly  the  young 
Mexican  sprang  among  the  bushes,  and,  raising  a  triumphant  cry,  dis- 
appeared with  a  dagger  or  pocket-knife  in  his  hand.  But  attention 
was  soon  turned  away  from  the  fugitive  by  a  cry  of  pain  which  at  the 
same  moment  escaped  from  the  sailor. 

The  Ostender,  holding  his  hand  to  his  side,  said  that  he  had  been 
stabbed  by  a  poniard.  The  others  helped  him  to  take  off  his  clothes; 
all  feared  that  he  had  been  mortally  wounded  by  the  son  of  his 
victim. 

When  they  had  uncovered  his  side,  they  perceived  with  joy  that  he 
had  only  received  a  slight  wound.  He  said  himself  that  it  was  not  seri- 
ous enough  to  stop  their  march  for  a  minute. 

They  took  up  their  knapsacks  again  and  walked  on  silently  through 
valleys  and  up  mountains,  their  minds  filled  with  gloomy  thoughts. 
Donatus  especially  thought  of  nothing  else  but  of  the  spirit  of  the 
murdered  man,  whom  he  feared  would  follow  them  till  their  last 
hour. 

"What  a  horrid  fellow  that  sailor  is  with  his  shot!  "  he  grumbled 
to  himself.  "  Now  he  has  made  us  at  war  with  the  other  world  I 
shan't  be  able  to  close  my  eyes  in  peace  all  my  life." 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE    GHOST. 

A  hour  or  two  later,  as  they  were  passsing  near  a  forest,  the 
Brusseller  suddenly  stopped  and  looked  down  with  surprise. 
It  seemed  that  the  plants  all  round  had  been  trodden  down 
in  a  strange  manner,  and  traces  of  horses'  hoofs  might  be  seen  on  the 
ground. 

"  Something  has  happened  here,"  said  Pardoes. 

"Look,  here  is  the  place!  there  has  been  firing  here  —  horses, 
too!" 

"Here  is  a  pool  of  blood,  as  if  they  had  been  slaughtering  an  ox," 
cried  Kwik. 

*  We've  got  into  a  bad  road,"  said  the  Brusseller;  "  it  will,  I  think, 
be  best  to  turn  some  miles  to  the  northward,  then  perhaps  we  shall 
reach  a  less  dangerous  country." 

They  left  the  plain  on  the  left. 

:?  What  a  land,"  murmured  Kwik,  "  when  at  each  step  one  meets  a 
new  horror!  " 

They  had  scarcely  walked  half  an  hour  when  Donatus  in  terror 
exclaimed, — 

"Help!  help!  a  wild  beast!  a  lion!  a  bear!" 

!?  Where  ?  "  cried  the  others,  raising  their  guns. 

:?  There,  among  the  branches.  A  mouth,  sirs,  and  eyes  —  oh, 
eyes!" 


see  nothing." 

"Are  you  blind,  then?     Don't  you  see  those  two  horns  rising  and 
falling  among  the  bushes?     Help!  help!  it  is  coming!  " 
88 


DONATUS   WALKS    BY   THE   MULE'S   SIDE. 


THE    GHOST.  pj 

k 

"Stupid  fellow!  "  cried  the  Brusseller,  laughing.  "It  is  a  couple 
of  donkey's  ears  you  see  there.  Keep  still,  friends;  heaven  is  perhaps 
sending  us  valuable  aid.  This  mule  probably  belongs  to  the  party 
who  were  attacked  at  the  spot  where  we  saw  the  blood.  But  we 
must  be  quiet  for  a  minute;  some  treacher}7  may  be  hid  under  the  ap- 
pearance of  this  animal." 

"A  good  comrade  for  you,  Donatus,"  grumbled  the  sailor;  "there 
will  be  a  couple  of  you  now." 

It  seemed  as  if  Donatus  was  of  the  same  opinion,  for  he  ran  to- 
wards the  bushes  while  the  others  watched  him.  A  minute  or  two 
after  he  appeared  in  t;he  plain,  holding  in  his  hand  the  bridle  of  a  mule, 
who  quietly  allowed  himself  to  be  led.  Kwik  seemed  delighted;  he 
caressed  the  mule,  addressing  it  in  the  tenderest  words.  The  Brus- 
seller said  that  it  would  render  them  good  service,  and  relieve  them 
of  a  good  portion  of  their  heavy  baggage. 

The  spades,  axes,  saucepans,  and  blankets  were  at  once  placed  on 
the  animal's  back,  as  well  as  the  large  trough. 

"Donatus,  I  shall  make  you  muleteer,"  said  the  Brusseller,  drolly. 

"I  was  born  one,"  replied  Kwik.  "Have  confidence  in  me:  I 
shall  take  as  much  care  of  the  mule  as  if  he  were  my  own  brother." 

All  walked  more  cheerfully  now.  It  was  a  great  relief  to  be 
delivered  from  the  heavy  burdens  beneath  which  they  had  groaned 
so  long.  Donatus  walked  by  the  mule's  side,  his  hand  on  the  beast's 
neck  in  token  of  friendship;  he  kept  up,  too,  a  long  conversation 
with  his  new  friend,  to  whom  he  related  many  passages  of  his  past 
life,  telling  it  stories  of  mules  he  had  known  in  his  native  country, 
and,  of  course,  dilating  largely  on  the  charms  of  Anneken,  the  police- 
man's daughter  at  Natten-Haesdonck. 

Donatus  would  probably  have  continued  this  practice  for  hours, 
but  he  was  interrupted  by  his  friends  halting,  as  if  they  did  not  mean 
to  go  any  further  that  day. 

"  Comrades,"   said  the  Brusseller,   "  I   propose  to   pitch   our  tent 


92  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

here;  we  are  on  a  height,  and  can  see  a  good  distance  off.  There  is 
water  in  the  brook  down  below,  and  a  little  further  on  pasture  for  our 
mule.  It  is  still  daylight,  and  we  might  walk  on  another  half-hour, 
but  we  are  not  sure  of  finding  another  so  favorable  a  spot.  Put  down 
your  knapsacks;  here  we  will  pass  the  night." 

He  loosed  the  mule's  girths  and  unloaded  it;  then  gave  the  poor 
animal  two  or  three  pokes  in  the  ribs,  which  made  it  run  off  gayly 
towards  the  pasture. 

"Oh,  dear!  Jan  Mule!  Jan  Mule!"  cried  Donatus.  w He  will  be 
lost!  "  —  and  was  making  after  him. 

But  Pardoes  held  him  back,  saying,  "  Don't  be  afraid,  Donatus. 
That  is  what  we  always  do  with  mules  here.  He  will  eat  and  sleep 
peacefully  during  the  night.  To-morrow  morning  we  shall  find  him 
again.  The  bell  on  his  neck  will  tell  us  where  he  is.  He  won't 
stray;  he  is  used  to  it." 

It  was  Jan  Creps'  turn  to  be  cook  to-night:  while  he  was  making 
the  fire  he  said  to  Kwik,  — 

*  Take  the  saucepan,  Donatus,  and  run  to  the  bottom  of  the  hill 
and  fetch  me  some  water;  the  coffee  will  be  all  the  quicker  made." 

Kwik  took  the  saucepan  and  hastened  off. 

"  We  shall  get  a  better  night's  rest,  I  hope,  than  we  did  last  night," 
said  the  Brusseller;  "we  must  go  to  bed  early,  too,  that  we  may  be 
off  in  good  time  in  the  morning.  If  we  are  not  lazy  we  shall  soon 
reach  the  mines  of  Yuba." 

"Soon?     When,  then?"   asked  the  sailor. 

"  In  three  or  four  days  we   shall  be  there.     We  can  rest  a  littl< 
then  and  renew  our  provisions  in  the  stores  there  before  we  go  to  our 
diggings." 

While  they  were  talking  about  the  stores  and  what  was  sold  by 
them,  they  were  interrupted  by  the  arrival  of  Donatus,  who  almost 
let  his  kettle  of  water  fall  on  the  ground,  as  with  pale  cheeks  and 
uplifted  arms,  he  stuttered  out,  — 


THE    GHOST.  93 

"  I  have  seen  down  yonder  something  so  ugly,  so  horrible,  that  I 
have  almost  lost  my  head  with  fear." 

"Tell  us  what  you  have  seen! "   grumbled  Pardoes,  impatiently. 

r'Yes;  but  let  me  get  my  breath.  Yonder,  behind  the  mountain, 
close  to  the  water,  a  man  is  hanging  from  a  tree,  his  legs  still  quiv- 
ering. He  would  certainly  cry  out,  but  he  can't,  for  he  is  hung  by  a 
slip-knot  in  a  rope." 

"Come!    come!    let  us  go  and  see  what  it  is." 

Donatus  led  them  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  showed  them  in 
reality  a  man  hanging  from  the  highest  branch  of  a  tree.  The  wind 
blowing  through  the  gully  made  the  corpse  swing;  this  movement 
had  made  Kwik  imagine  that  the  man  might  still  be  alive. 

Victor,  approaching  nearer  to  the  tree,  remarked  that  a  tin  plate 
had  been  nailed  against  its  trunk.  Donatus  stopped,  trembling,  and 
dared  not  approach  the  corpse,  but  the  jeers  of  the  sailor  at  last  made 
him  follow  the  others. 

On  the  tin  plate  the  following  inscription  was  written  with  an  iron 
point,  in  English.  Victor  read  it  aloud:  — 

"  Respect  Lynch  law.  Jack  Kalep  here  murdered  his  bosom 
friend  in  order  to  steal  his  gold." 

"Look!  close  to  the  tree  here  is  a  little  cross  of  wood  in  the 
ground,"  said  the  Baron ;  "  this  must  be  the  victim's  grave." 

"'Well,  these  are  matters  which  don't  concern  us,"  said  the  Brus- 
seller,  turning  away.  "  Come,  let  us  return  to  our  tent." 

"Are  you  going  to  leave  that  man  hanging  there?  "  asked  Kwik, 
with  disgust. 

"  He  has  been  hanging  there  certainly  for  the  last  six  weeks." 

"And  you  won't  bury  him?     He  was   perhaps  a  Christian  like 


us." 


Victor  tried  to  make  him  understand  that  there  must  be  limits  to 
his  compassion.  The  dead  man  was  a  horrible  assassin,  who  had 
well  deserved  his  punishment.  But  Kwik  murmured, — 


94 


THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 


"  I'd  rather  sleep  in  the  cemetery  of  Natten-Haesdonck  than  here 
—  though  that  wouldn't  be  pleasant  at  midnight.  What  a  country! 
what  a  horrible  country! " 

The  coffee  and  fritters  were  soon  ready.  Supper  over,  Victor 
acted  as  sentry,  and  the  others  went  to  rest  under  their  tent. 

Donatus  was  even  more  restless  than  he  had  been  on  the  previous 
night.  He  kept  his  eyes  closed,  for  whenever  he  opened  them  the 
darkness  assumed  for  him  all  sorts  of  terrible  forms.  He  saw  the 
corpse  of  the  Mexican,  then  that  of  the  hanging  man,  and  afterwards 
of  his  victim,  pass  before  his  eyes,  each  threatening  him.  But  what 
struck  him  with  the  most  abject  terror  was -the  thought  that  in  the 
middle  of  the  night  he  would  be  called  to  relieve  the  sentinel  on 
guard.  Then  he  would  be  alone  in  the  darkness.  His  comrades 
were  snoring  under  the  tent.  How  he  envied  their  tranquillity! 
Gladly  would  he  have  given  a  nugget  of  gold  as  big  as  an  apple  to  be 
able  to  forget  the  ghosts  as  they  did.  He  began  to  pray  fervently, 
and  whether  it  was  that  bis  prayer  diminished  his  fear,  or  that  he  at 
last  gave  way  to  the  fatigues  of  the  journey,  he  finally  fell  asleep. 

Towards  the  middle  of  the  night  he  felt  some  one  pulling  his  legs 
and  pinching  his  calves.  He  jumped  up  and  said  with  a  groan,  his 
hair  standing  erect  on  his  head,  — 

"Oh!  a  ghost!  a  ghost!" 

"Silence!"  growled  the  sailor;  "it's  your  turn  to  mount  guard  — 
it's  eleven  o'clock." 

c  Yes,"  murmured  Kwik,  as  he  went  out  of  the  tent,  "  thus  an  un- 
happy mortal  falls  into  one  pit  after  another." 

"Here  is  the  watch,"  said  the  Ostender;  "at  midnight  you  mu 
wake  the  Baron  to  relieve  you." 

"  Have  you  seen  nothing  in  the  darkness  ?  "  asked  Kwik,  in  an 
anxious  tone. 

r  Yes,  Donatus,  my  boy:   something  horrible  out  yonder." 

"  What  did  you  see  ?  " 


THE    GHOST. 


95 


w  See!  why,  a  ghost  with  a  white  sheet  on  its  back,"  said  the  sailor, 
in  a  hollow  voice;  "  it  spoke  to  me." 

"Come,  come!  is  it  true?  and  what  did  it  say?" 

?  Is  there  not  an  idiot  among  you  named  Kwik?  '  it  asked.  ?  Yes,' 
I  replied,  *  he  will  mount  guard  about  the  middle  of  the  night.' 
'  Very  well,'  said  the  ghost;  '  that  will  be  a  very  good  time  to  wring 
his  neck.'  Good-night,  Donatus." 

When  poor  Kwik  found  himself  alone  in  the  darkness,  his  legs 
trembled  under  him  with  fear.  He  would  have  liked  to  keep  his 
eyes  shut,  but  among  all  his  weaknesses  he  had  many  good  qualities, 
and  one  of  them  was  that  he  wished  faithfully  to  do  the  duty  which 
had  been  intrusted  to  him.  He  remembered  that  he  was  posted  there  to 
watch  over  the  lives  of  his  companions,  and  especially  over  Roozeman. 

He  looked  round  on  all  sides.  Trees,  rocks,  clouds,  all  assumed 
fearful  forms  in  his  eyes. 

Hitherto  he  had  been  brave  enough  not  to  quit  his  post,  but  his 
terror  increased  as  the  fatal  hour  of  midnight  approached  —  the  hour 
at  which,  according  to  the  stories  he  had  heard  in  childhood,  ghosts 
wandered  about  seeking  vengance. 

Suddenly  he  raised  a  stifled  cry;  he  saw,  or  thought  he  saw,  in  the 
distance,  a  human  shadow  with  a  white  sheet  on  its  head  rise  from  the 
ground. 

He  retreated  to  the  fire,  and  had  to  lean  against  the  cooking-pole 
to  prevent  himself  from  falling.  There  a  happy  thought  came  into 
his  mind.  He  took  the  watch  from  his  pocket,  opened  it,  bent  over 
the  flame,  and  with  trembling  fingers  put  the  hands  on  about  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour;  then  he  slipped  under  the  tent,  pulled  some  one 
by  the  legs,  and  said,  — 

"Baron,  Baron,  awake!  twelve  o'clock.  It  is  your  turn  —  mid- 
night!" 

JCWhat!  twelve  o'clock?"  murmured  the  Frenchman,  coming  out 
of  the  tent.  "It  is  scarcely  half  an  hour  since  I  heard  you  called." 


96  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

"Come,  come!"  stuttered  Donatus,  in  his  bad  French,  "when 
asleep,  not  know  whether  twelve  o'clock  or  not.  Look,  the  clock 
marks  exactly  that!  " 

The  Baron  took  the  watch  and  mounted  guard.  Donatus,  rolling 
himself  up  in  his  blanket,  mumbled,  "It's  not  honest  —  I  know  it;  but 
I  will  make  it  up  to  him,  if  I  have  to  mount  guard  for  him  ten  times 
another  day.  I  am  not  afraid,  I  am  brave  enough,  but  to  fight  with 
ghosts  —  no,  no !  "  And  he  let  his  head  fall  back  on  his  knapsack. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE    WOUNDED    MAN. 

"Y  "Y  THEN  the  gold-seekers  awoke  next  morning  and  looked  at 
X/V/  tne  watch,  they  were  not  a  little  surprised  that  the  sun  rose 
an  hour  later  on  the  previous  days.  All  sorts  of  conjec- 
tures were  made,  and  the  sailor  suggested  that  it  might  be  caused  by 
in  earthquake,  which  had  moved  the  earth  out  of  its  axis.  Donatus 
<ept  his  eyes  on  the  ground,  and  pretended  to  have  a  cold  in  his  head, 
vvhich  made  him  sneeze  incessantly.  The  Baron  looked  at  him  sus- 
piciously, but  Kwik's  air  was  so  innocent  that  he  soon  thought  no 
norc  of  the  matter. 

Whilst  they  were  seated  at  breakfast,  Creps  remarked,  rubbing  his 
lands,  — 

*  We-  must  make  good  progress  to-day;  we  have  slept  well  — 
laven't  we,  Kwik?  " 

:r  Yes,"  grumbled  Donatus,  w  pretty  well;  but  all  night  I  have  been 
>eset  over  and  over  again  by  four  or  five  ghosts." 

?  You  must  get  the  better  of  your  silly  imagination,  friend  Kwik," 
aid  Victor.  "  God  has  protected  us  so  far,  and  we  must  believe  that 
le  will  continue  to  watch  over  us." 

:?  Well,  Mr.  Roozeman,"  replied  Donatus,  with  a  sigh,  *  I  am  curi- 
us  to  know  what  new  horrors  we  shall  see  to-day?  " 

"Come!  come!  don't  let  us  lose  more  time,"  cried  Pardoes;  "up 
/ith  your  knapsacks.  Donatus,  go  and  fetch  the  mule:  he  is  down 
,iere  by  yonder  pine-tree." 

A  few  minutes  after  and  they  were  on  the  road.  Donatus  had  be- 

97 


98  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

come  very  polite  to  the  Baron,  and  was  most  anxious  to  carry  his 
knapsack  and  gun,  but  the  Frenchman,  who  had  no  idea  of  the  cause 
of  this  sudden  change  in  his  manner,  refused  his  offer  coldly  and 
haughtily. 

Kwik,  thus  repulsed,  returned  to  the  mule,  by  the  side  of  which  he 
trudged  onwards,  his  only  consolation  being  in  relating  to  the  animal 
the  story  of  last  night's  troubles,  and  deploring  to  it  his  foolish  depart- 
ure from  the  happy  pastures  and  peaceful  homesteads  of  his  native 
land.  But  it  happened  that  in  the  middle  of  this  attractive  recital  the 
mule,  stung  by  a  gnat,  gave  a  violent  kick,  which  threw  Kwik  pros- 
trate on  the  ground. 

He  must  have  had  a  hard  head,  for  before  the  others  had  had  time 
to  run  to  his  aid  he  was  on  his  feet  again,  and  had  assumed  his  place 
by  the  mule's  side,  to  whom  he  now  preached  a  long  sermon  on  the 
friendship,  gratitude,  and  obedience  which  a  mule  owed  to  a  kind- 
hearted  master. 

But  he  was  interrupted  by  a  shout  from  the  Brusseller,  — 

rc  Your  guns  ready!  there  are  a  number  of  men  ahead  of  us." 

"  There,  we  are  in  for  it  again ! "  sighed  Donatus.  "  I  wouldn't 
give  a  pipe  of  tobacco  for  our  lives!  " 

All  halted  and  made  ready  to  fire;  they  saw  a  number  of  men 
coming,  but  couldn't  make  out  what  sort  of  people  they  were. 

As  soon  as  this  band  perceived  Pardoes  and  his  part}7  they  stopped, 
too,  and  got  their  guns  ready. 

"  Alas,  comrades !  "    murmured  Donatus,  w  if  we  can't  do  other- 
wise let  us  fight,  and   may  God  be  with   us;  but  there  are  at  least 
twenty  of  them,  and  there  is  a  wood  close  by  us  to  flee  unto.     Th< 
pastor  of  Natten-Haesdonck  once  said  "  — 

"  Hold  your  tongue,  fool!  "  cried  Pardoes.  "  I  don't  believe  there 
is  anything  to  fear  here;  these  men  are  laden  with  heavy  burdens. 
They  are  gold-seekers  returning  from  the  diggings.  Look,  they  are 
making  friendly  signs  to  us." 


THE    WOUNDED    MAN. 


99 


The  two  groups  now  slowly  approached  each  other,  and  when 
they  were  mutually  satisfied  that  they  were  only  simple  travellers 
meeting  each  other,  they  exchanged  in  the  distance  shouts  of  salu- 
tation. Still  each  company  kept  on  their  guard. 

The  Brusseller  recognized  a  Frenchman  whom  he  had  met  last  year 
at  the  mines.  He  went  to  chat  with  him  for  a  minute  or  two,  while 
his  companions  exchanged  a  few  words  with  the  other  gold-seekers, 
from  whom  they  tried  to  get  information  about  the  diggings.  They 
did  not  tell  them  much,  for  these  men  seemed  very  suspicious  and 
reserved.  When  Donatus  asked  one  of  them,  in  his  bad  French,  "  Is 
for  you  much  gold  in  this  sack?"  they  all  seemed  angry,  and  looked 
at  him  with  threatening  eyes. 

The  Brusseller  now  shook  hands  with  the  Frenchman,  and  said, 
"Farewell." 

The  others  looked  at  Pardoes,  hoping  that  he  would  tell  them 
something  that  he  had  heard,  but  he  shook  his  head  with  evident 
anxiety,  and  remained  silent. 

"  Have  you  bad  news,  Pardoes  ?  "   asked  Creps. 

:?  Yes,  bad  news,"  he  replied. 

"Ah!  something  new  again?"  grumbled  Donatus.  "We  have 
not  had  any  savages  yet!  " 

"  And  it  is  savages  that  we  may  encounter,"  said  Pardoes. 

"Well,  you  can  do  as  you  like,"  cried  Kwik,  angrily,  "but  I  shall 
resign  my  post  of  gold-seeker  and  return  home.  I  have  lost  half  an 
ear  in  this  enchanted  country,  and  I  don't  want  to  arrive  at  Natten- 
Haesdonck  with  my  head  bare  and  shining  like  one  of  my  plates 
here." 

"  Hold  your  tongue,  Donatus,  and  listen  to  me.  This  is  what  the 
Frenchman  told  me.  Between  us  and  the  Yuba  diggings  a  large 
band  of  Californian  savages  has  appeared.  The  news  has  come  to 
the  stores  that  four  days  ago  they  attacked  a  party  of  travellers.  The 
men  we  have  just  met  have  seen  these  Californians  in  the  distance. 


100  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

The  Frenchman  advised  me  to  turn  to  the  westward  for  an  hour  or 
two,  thus  to  avoid  meeting  the  savages.  We  will  begin  to  follow  his 
advice  at  the  foot  of  this  mountain.  Keep  yourselves  ready  for  any 
emergency." 

After  turning  in  a  westward  direction,  Pardoes  continued,  — 

"  But,  on  the  other  hand,  there  is  good  news  from  the  mines.  New 
diggings  have  been  discovered  higher  up,  near  the  source  of  the  Yuba, 
which  are  richer  than  those  hitherto  found.  The  Frenchman,  to 
whom  last  year  I  rendered  some  service,  has  given  me  precise 
explanations  about  them,  and  as  these  new  diggings  are  on  our  route, 
my  opinion  is  that  we  should  do  well  to  try  our  fortune  there  for  a 
day  or  two.  There  are  stores  a  few  miles  from  them,  where  we  can 
rest  and  refit  if  necessary." 

Donatus  did  not  listen  to  him;  he  could  think  of  nothing  but  the 
savages.  It  was  plain  to  him  that  in  this  terrible  California  we  must 
always  expect  the  worst.  Every  now  and  then  he  put  his  hand  to  his 
head,  pulling  his  hair  to  assure  himself  that  he  was  not  already  bald. 
Suddenly  a  piercing  cry  escaped  him,  and  he  said,  turning  pale, — 

"  There  they  are!    there  they  are!  " 

A  strange  noise  was  heard  among  the  bushes,  and  his  companions, 
equally  astonished,  halted,  listening  intently.  It  was  a  voice  moaning 
and  calling  for  help.  At  first  they  could  not  make  out  in  what  lan- 
guage it  spoke,  but  then  they  distinctly  heard  the  word  "God." 

"Is  it  possible?"  cried  Victor:  "A  Fleming  in  this  country!  Let 
us  go  and  see:  it  is  probably  an  unfortunate  fellow-countryman." 

"Keep  together,"  said  Pardoes;  "your  hands  to  your  guns,  for 
anything  may  hide  a  snare.  Donatus,  try  to  follow  us  among  the 
bushes." 

Guided  by  the  cry,  they  found  a  young  man  seated  against  a  tree. 
He  was  pale,  with  hollow  cheeks,  and  one  of  his  feet  was  bound  up 
with  rags,  as  if  he  had  torn  his  clothes  for  the  purpose.  His  first; 
words  proved  him  to  be  an  Englishman.  Victor's  mistake  had  been 


THE   WOUNDED    ENGLISHMAN. 


THE    WOUNDED    MAN.  103 

caused  by  the  fact  that  the  word  "  God  "  is  the  same  in  Flemish  as  in 
English. 

He  related  that  he  and  his  companions  had  been  attacked  by  bush- 
rangers, and  that  he  was  wounded  by  a  bullet  in  the  foot.  His  wound 
was  much  inflamed,  and  his  foot  much  swollen;  he  could  not  walk, 
and  had  been  crawling  about  in  the  wood  for  four  days,  living  on 
plants  and  roots,  and  looking  forward  to  a  horrible  death.  With 
clasped  hands  he  implored  the  strangers,  for  the  love  of  God,  not  to 
leave  him  alone  in  that  desert.  His  father  kept  a  large  store  at  the 
Pen  River  diggings,  and  he  would  liberally  reward  his  deliverers. 

Victor  and  Jan  talked  of  putting  the  young  man  on  the  mule,  but 
the  sailor  declared  that  he  wasn't,  for  the  sake  of  this  Englishman, 
going  to  take  that  mule's  load  upon  his  back. 

As  the  dispute  between  Roozeman  and  the  Ostender  was  growing 
very  warm,  Pardoes  said,  — 

"Come  aside  with  me  for  a  moment,  gentlemen:  let  us  discuss 
the  affair  quietly." 

When  they  had  moved  about  twenty  yards  off  he  remarked, — 

"  We  have  had  the  good  luck  to  find  a  mule,  a  most  valuable  aid 
to  us,  helping  us  to  get  on  much  quicker  towards  the  goal  we  are  all 
longing  to  reach.  If  we  put  this  wounded  man  on  the  mule  we  shall 
have  to  carry  again  on  our  own  backs  our  tools  and  the  trough;  we 
shall  be  much  hindered  in  our  journey.  As  to  the  reward  he 
promises  us,  don't  trust  to  it.  Once  in  safety,  he  will  say,  "  I  am 
much  obliged  to  you,  good-by." 

"But  are  we  then  pitilessly  to  leave  a  Christian,  our  neighbor,  to 
die  in  this  desert?"  cried  Victor.  "Go  on,  then,  continue  your 
journey;  if  need  be  I  will  remain  alone  with  this  unfortunate  fellow, 
and  carry  him  if  I  can." 

The  wounded  man,  who  was  looking  at  them  from  afar,  saw  very 
plainly  that  the  young  man  was  pleading  his  cause,  so  he  stretched 
out  his  hands  to  him,  gazing  at  him  imploringly. 


104  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

w  Well,  I  am  decidedly  opposed  to  Roozeman's  absurd  proposal," 
said  the  sailor;  "let  they  who  like  carry  the  tools,  I  won't  touch  one 
of  them." 

:c  Very  well,  then  we  will  carry  them  all;  won't  we,  Jan?  " 

"  Certainly!  such  cruelty  is  horrible!  " 

"  And  you,  Donatus?  " 

"  Me!  why  to  save  a  man's  life  I  would  carry  all  the  tools  and  the 
trough  to  the  other  end  of  the  world.  Perhaps,  too,  God  will  regard 
us  more  favorably  afterwards,  and  not  allow  those  savages  to  come 


near  us." 


w  And  what  do  you  say,  Baron  ?  "  asked  Pardoes. 

w  I  think,"  was  the  reply,  "  that  a  man's  life  isn't  worth  making 
such  a  fuss  about,  but  as  the  poor  fellow  is  young  I  am  willing  to 
carry  my  share  of  the  tools." 

Victor  and  his  friends  had  already  unloaded  the  mule;  now  they 
cautiously  lifted  the  wounded  man  on  to  the  beast's  back.  He 
thanked  Victor,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  and  said  that  to  the  last  day  of 
his  life  he  would  remember  his  generosity. 

According  to  their  promise,  Creps  and  Roozeman  carried  the 
larger  portion  of  the  tools,  while  the  trough  was  bound  upon  Donatus' 
back. 

They  resumed  their  journey.  On  the  way  the  Englishman  related 
how  this  misfortune  had  happened  to  him. 

"  My  name  is  John  Miller,"  he  said.  "  I  was  going  to  Sacra- 
mento to  buy  some  flour  for  my. father.  As  no  mules  were  to  be  had 
at  the  Pen  River,  I  went  on  to  the  Yuba  diggings,  where,  after  some 
days,  I  found  the  muleteers  I  wanted.  We  rapidly  descended  the 
mountain.  All  went  well  till  the  third  day,  on  the  afternoon  of  which 
we  saw  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  which  commanded  our  road  a  man 
bent  down  and  tottering,  like  one  very  much  fatigued.  As  he  was 
alone,  and  had  no  other  arms  than  a  revolver,  we  did  not  suspect  any- 
thing. To  our  questions  he  replied  that  he  had  started  from  San 


THE    WOUNDED    MAN. 


I05 


Francisco  to  go  to  the  mines  of  the  north,  that  he  had  lost  his  way, 
and  was  dying  of  hunger.  We  gave  him  a  few  biscuits  and  a  piece 
of  salt  meat.  This  man  had  large  red  moustaches  and  strangely 
small" - 

"Was  he  a  Frenchman?"  asked  Victor,  astonished. 

?  Yes,  a  Frenchman;  two  of  our  party  were  able  to  talk  to  him." 

"The  Red  Moustache  of  the  '  Jonas!  '"  said  Victor.  w  Donatus 
was  not  wrong,  then." 

"  I  should  not  have  examined  his  face  so  narrowly,"  the  wounded 
man  went  on;  w  but  it  struck  me  that  he  was  scanning  us  one  by  one 
from  head  to  foot,  and  counting  our  weapons.  He  had  got  up  and 
continued  on  his  road;  we,  after  having  shown  him  the  way,  resumed 
our  march  in  the  opposite  direction.  As  I  did  not  trust  him,  I  made 
my  companions  stop  for  a  moment,  and  we  climbed  up  a  mountain  to 
watch  the  fellow.  He  had  disappeared,  and  as  he  couldn't  be  hidden 
anywhere  in  this  plain  he  must  be  somewhere  among  the  bushes,  or  in 
the  wood.  We  feared  an  attack  of  bushrangers,  of  whom  there  are 
many  about  just  now,  but  after  we  had  marched  on  quietly  for  an  hour 
and  a  half,  and  had  met  no  one,  we  stopped  for  our  animals  to  rest  and 
graze,  and  to  prepare  our  own  dinner.  We  had  scarcely  mounted  our 
mules  again  when  several  men  appeared  in  the  mountain  above  us,  and 
fired  four  or  five  bullets  at  us.  We  returned  the  fire,  but  the  brigands 
burst  upon  us  down  from  the  mountain  before  we  had  time  to  load 
again.  One  of  our  party  cried,  'Fly!  fly! '  and  I  saw  my  companions 
spur  on  their  mules.  I  wished  to  do  as  they  did,  but  the  same  man 
with  the  red  moustaches  took  aim  at  me,  and  the  bullet  went  through 
my  foot.  My  mule  made  a  spring,  which  threw  me  to  the  ground, 
and  then  galloped  after  the  others.  The  bushrangers  followed  my 
companions;  for  a  long  time  after  I  heard  shots  in  the  wood.  I  have 
been  lying  here  for  the  last  four  days;  my  foot  is  so  inflamed  that  I 
could  scarcely  move,  and  I  was  looking  forward  to  a  terrible  death 
when  God  heard  me,  and  sent  me  unexpected  deliverance." 


106  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

Victor  and  Jan  talked  for  a  long  time  about  the  part  which  the  Red 
Moustache  of  the  "Jonas  "  had  played  in  this  story,  and  Jan  declared 
he  would  send  a  bullet  through  the  wretch  the  first  time  he  came  in 
his  way. 

After  they  had  reached  their  halting-place  for  the  night,  and  while 
supper  was  being  prepared,  Victor  took  the  bandages  ofTthe  young  Eng- 
lishman's foot,  carefully  washed  the  inflamed  wound,  and  then  bound 
it  up  in  clean  rags.  This  dressing  greatly  relieved  the  poor  fellow's 
sufferings.  He  grasped  Roozeman's  hands,  and  tears  of  gratitude 
trickled  down  his  cheeks. 

Donatus  gave  up  his  blanket  to  the  wounded  man,  and  though  at 
first  he  refused  to  take  it,  Kwik  insisted  on  sleeping  on  the  bare 
ground.  That  night  all  slept  soundly  under  the  guard  of  their  sen- 
tinel. Donatus,  happy  at  having  been  able  to  perform  a  good  action, 
did  not  dream,  and  slept  so  well  that  when  his  turn  came  to  mount 
guard  he  had  to  be  shaken  several  minutes  before  he  would  awake. 


CHAPTER     XIV. 

THE    VAQUEROS. 

THE  Englishman's  presence  seemed  to  have  brought  good  luck 
to  the  travellers;  for  a  day  and  a  half  they  continued  their 
journey  without  meeting  anything  to  disturb  them. 

In  two  days  more  they  hoped  to  reach  the  Yuba  diggings.  They 
laughed  at  Donatus'  fears,  telling  him  that,  notwithstanding  apparent 
dangers,  they  were  now  approaching  the  end  of  their  journey 
without  any  real  harm  having  happened  to  them.  He  shook  his 
head  doubtfully,  replying  that  one  must  not  sell  a  bear's  skin  till  the 
animal  has  been  caught  and  slain,  and  that  we  ought  not  to  hold  a 
harvest  festival  till  the  corn  has  been  stored  in  the  barn. 

On  crossing  avast  plain  next  morning,  in  the  midst  of  which  stood 
some  isolated  rocks,  Pardoes  suddenly  stopped,  and  said, — 

"Halt,  friends!    there  is  treachery  behind  those  hills!" 

Pointing  with  his  finger  he  added,  "Yonder,  above  the  rocks,  hats 
are  moving.  Those  hats  are  Mexican  sombreros.  The  men  who  are 

o 

behind  those  rocks  mean  to  attack  us  as  we  pass.     Be  ready  to  fire  at 
the  first  appearance  of  these  brigands." 

While  he  was  speaking  the  hats  were  raised,  and  three  balls 
whistled  over  the  Flemings'  heads. 

These  all  fired  together  upon  their  enemies,  but  immediately  after 
four  or  five  men  on  horseback  appeared  from  the  rock,  who,  without 
giving  the  gold-seekers  time  to  reload  their  weapons,  rushed  upon 
them  at  a  gallop  with  shouts  of  triumph. 

'The  revolvers!"  cried  the  Brusseller:  "they  are  vaqueros  — 
throwers  of  ropes!  Beware  of  the  lasso!  " 

107 


108  THE    BOYS    OF   THE    SIERRAS. 

"  May  God  have  mercy  on  us!  "    moaned  Donatus. 

He  had  scarcely  uttered  the  words  when  the  lassos  cut  the  ail 
with  a  hissing  sound,  and  repeated  shots  from  revolvers  sounded 
rapidly  through  the  valley.  So  as  not  to  be  trodden  down  by  the 
horses  the  gold-seekers  had  separated,  each  taking  a  different  direc- 
tion. 

A  lasso  had  caught  Roozeman  round  the  waist,  and  was  pressing 
his  arms  tightly  against  his  body.  The  horseman  to  whose  saddle 
the  end  of  the  terrible  rope  was  fastened  spurred  his  horse,  threw  the 
unfortunate  Fleming  down,  and  dragged  him  along  the  ground  in  hij 
rapid  course. 

Kwik,  who  was  tiring  in  a  way  which  proved  how  dearly  he  woulc 
sell  his  life,  was  the  only  one  to  remark  Victor's  critical  position 
He  rushed  to  his  friend's  assistance.  Throwing  down  his  revolver 
he  drew  his  large  Catalonian  knife  out  of  his  belt,  and  struck  the 
Mexican  at  the  very  moment  when  he  was  about  to  fall  upon  hi< 
victim. 

Kwik  plunged  his  knife  with  such  force  into  the  horse's  side  tha 
the  poor  animal  fell  mortally  wounded.  The  vaquero,  who  hac 
sprung  from  his  saddle,  and  had  fallen  on  his  knees,  drew  out  i 
dagger,  and  aimed  a  blow  at  Donatus,  unhappily  wounding  him;  bu 
the  exasperated  Fleming  seized  the  vaquero  by  the  hair,  and  plunged  hif 
knife  up  to  the  hilt  in  his  breast.  Then,  running  up  to  Roozeman,  he 
cut  the  lasso,  and  ran  to  the  scene  of  the  combat;  blood  flowed  dowr 
his  face,  and  he  waved  his  terrible  knife  above  his  head.  When  he 
had  rejoined  his  friends  he  sent  the  Mexicans  flying  in  the  directior 
of  the  solitary  rocks.  Without  turning  round  he  ran  after  therr 
alone,  though  the  Brusseller  shouted  after  him  as  loudly  as  he 
could  to  stop. 

Kwik  turned  back.  Victor  ran  to  meet  him,  called  him  hii 
deliverer,  and  showed  the  greatest  anxiety  at  the  sight  of  the  blood 
which  flowed  down  the  poor  fellow's  cheeks.  But  Donatus  assurec 


ROOZEMAN   CAUGHT  BY  A   LASSO. 


THE    VAQUEROS.  Ill 

him  it  was  not  serious;  the  vaquero  had  wished  to  strike  the  dagger 
into  his  heart,  but  he  had  turned  the  weapon  aside,  which  had  struck 
his  head,  giving  him  a  large  gash  above  his  ear. 

Creps,  the  Brusseller,  and  the  Frenchman  seized  his  hand,  prais- 
ing him  loudly  for  his  courage  in  the  encounter.  He  replied, 
modestly,  "  I  am  not  a  braver  hero  than  I  was  yesterday.  But  Mr- 
Victor  was  in  danger  of  death;  that  maddened  me.  I  did  not  know 
what  I  was  doing.  May  God  pardon  me  such  words,  but  if  I  had  to 
kill  a  hundred  Mexicans  to  save  Mr.  Roozeman  I  think  I  should 
do  it." 

"Now  you  have  murdered  a  Christian!"  growled  the  sailor;  "the 
ghost " 

"Ghost!  that  wretched  Mexican!"  cried  Donatus,  with  a  fresh 
outburst  of  fury.  "  He  was  about  to  assassinate  Mr.  Victor;  his 
ghost  may  appear  if  it  likes;  I  will  stab  the  spectre  with  my  knife, 


too." 


All  this  time  the  others  were  telling  what  had  happened  to  them. 
The  Frenchman  had  also  been  caught  in  the  lasso,  and  dragged  some 
distance  off,  but  Creps  had  darted  forward  and  cut  the  cord.  The 
Brusseller  had  plunged  his  knife  into  the  thigh  of  one  of  his  foes; 
another  must  have  received  a  bullet  in  his  body,  for  they  had  seen 
him  fall  from  his  horse,  and  it  was  owing  to  his  shrieks  and  hasty 
flight  that  his  companions  had  left  the  field  of  battle. 

"  It  was  I,"  said  the  sailor,  "  who  sent  the  bullet  into  that  vaga- 
bond's heart." 

"Indeed!  where  were  you?  I  didn't  see  you  once  during  the 
conflict,"  asked  Creps. 

''You  think  of  nothing,"  replied  the  Ostender.  ''To  prevent  our 
poor  wounded  man  from  having  his  neck  broken  I  tied  the  mule's 
bridle  to  my  belt,  to  hinder  the  beast  from  running  away.  Protected 
against  the  lasso,  I  was  able  to  load  my  gun  repeatedly  and  take  good 
aim  at  these  wretches.  It  was  my  bullet  which  struck  the  vaquero 


112  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

in  the  chest.  Had  it  not  been  for  my  presence  of  mind  we  should 
probably  all  be  dead  at  this  moment." 

"  Come,  that  wasn't  a  bad  idea,"  said  Kwik,  laughing:  "next  time 
we  are  attacked  I  will  get  behind  the  mule,  too! " 

Deeply  stung  by  this  sneer,  the  sailor  sprang  forward,  brandished 
his  .knife,  and  would  probably  have  struck  Donatus,  had  not  Creps 
seized  his  hand,  and  while  he  held  it  in  an  iron  grip  exclaimed, — 

"  If  you  value  your  life  don't  touch  a  hair  of  his  head!  " 

Pardoes  and  Victor  rushed  in  between  them.  Donatus  humbly 
asked  the  sailor's  pardon,  asserting  that  he  had  no  intention  of  insult- 
ing him,  and  proclaiming  aloud  that  the  hasty  flight  of  their  assail- 
ants was  all  owing  to  the  skill  and  courage  of  the  Ostender.  This 
calmed  the  sailor,  and  he  even  shook  hands  with  the  man  whom  a 
moment  before  he  had  wished  to  strike. 

On  examining  the  wounds  of  Donatus  and  the  Frenchman  they 
found  that  neither  of  them  was  sufficiently  serious  to  prevent  them 
continuing  their  journey. 

The  sailor  wished  to  go  and  search  for  the  dead  vaquero^  and  his 
horse,  doubtless  to  see  if  any  valuables  were  to  be  found;  but  Pardoes 
held  him  back,  saying, — 

"No,  leave  him.  Forward,  gentlemen;  don't  let  us  lose  any  more 
time.  We  are  not  safe  in  this  plain.  Mexicans  are  full  of  revenge, 
and  I  shan't  be  surprised  if  the  brigands  return  in  large  numbers. 
We  must  hurry  on  to  gain  those  heights  yonder,  where  the  horses 
can't  reach  us." 

Donatus  walked  along  by  the  mule's  side,  carrying  in  his  hand  a 
leather  cord  made  of  three  thin  straps  plaited  together,  more  than 
twenty  feet  long,  and  with  a  slip-knot  at  the  end. 

*  That's  a  lasso  you've  got  in  your  hand,  Kwik." 

*  Yes,  I  know  it  is,"  he  replied,  "but  I  am  puzzling  my  brains  to 
make  out  how  they  can  catch  a  man  with  it.     Those  fellows  must  be 
wonderfully  well  practised  in  throwing  the  lasso." 


THE    VAQUEROS.  1x3 

:'Yes,  they  are  well  skilled  in  it,  certainly;  but  it's  not  without 
difficulty  that  they  acquire  the  habit.  I  was  shipwrecked  during  a  voy- 
age on  the  Mexican  coast,  and  thus  had  a  good  chance  of  observing  the 
vaqueros.  No  sooner  are  the  children  of  these  people  able  to  walk 
than  they  begin  to  fling  a  lasso;  first  they  seize  cats  and  dogs,  then 
mules,  and  finally,  oxen  and  horses;  for  the  real  use  of  the  lasso  is 
only  to  capture  the  latter." 

Towards  evening  they  perceived  in  the  distance  three  or  four  large 
tents,  and  as  many  fires.  They  halted  to  try  to  make  out  whether 
they  were  friends  or  foes. 

r?  They  are  muleteers,"  said  the  Brusseller,  "  carrying  a  supply  of 
flour  from  Sacramento  to  the  diggings.  I  hear,  too,  the  bells  of  their 
mules.  Come  on  boldly,  we  have  nothing  to  fear." 

The  muleteers  seeing  this  band  of  men  in  the  distance,  seized  their 
weapons  and  placed  themselves  on  the  defensive,  but  on  perceiving 
that  they  were  only  gold-seekers  they  saluted  them  in  a  friendly 
manner. 

John  Miller,  whose  foot  was  now,  thanks  to  Victor's  care,  much 
better,  recognized  the  head  muleteer  as  having  carried  flour  and  other 
provisions  more  than  once  for  his  father.  When  he  expressed  his 
astonishment  at  seeing  him  there,  wounded,  wandering  among  the 
mountains,  the  young  Englishman  told  with  much  gratitude  how  his 
companions  had  taken  him  up  when  he  was  half-dead  in  the  wood, 
and  had  given  him  their  only  beast  of  burden  to  save  him.  Upon 
this  the  Flemings  were  invited  to  pass  the  night  at  this  spot.  In 
their  honor  the  muleteers  prepared  the  best  of  their  provisions  for 
them.  They  ate  and  drank  so  well  that  a  fresh  vigor  seemed  to  flow 
into  the  veins  of  the  weary  gold-seekers. 

What  most  rejoiced  them  was  the  certainty  that  to-morrow  after- 
noon they  would  reach  the  first  diggings  of  the  Yuba.  It  was  decided 
that  John  Miller  should  remain  with  the  muleteers,  as  they  were  wil- 
ling to  take  him  in  a  few  days  to  the  Pen  River.  He  wished  to  give 


114  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

money  to  his  deliverers,  but  as  they  refused  to  accept  of  it  he  made 
them  take  a  fresh  stock  of  flour  and  salted  lard.  This  he  thought 
might  be  necessary  for  them,  as,  since  the  fresh  influx  of  gold-seekers, 
everything  in  the  mines  was  scarce  and  dear.  The  Flemings  might 
have  continued  in  company  with  their  new  friends,  but  as  their  mules 
were  heavy  laden  they  could  only  proceed  slowly,  and  as  Pardoes 
could  brook  no  delay,  it  was  agreed  that  they  should  start  by  them- 
selves at  sunrise. 

After  John  Miller  had  once  more  warmly  thanked  his  deliverers 
and  shaken  Creps,  Roozeman,  and  Kwik  by  the  hand,  they  all  slipped 
under  their  tent  and  soon  fell  into  a  profound  sleep. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE    DIGGINGS. 

THE  sun  had  risen  gloriously  on  the  horizon  and  promised  a 
splendid  day.     The  gold-seekers  had  started  early,  and  went 
on  quickly  without  taking  any  rest  on  the  road.     The  thought 
that  each  step  brought  them  nearer  to  the  diggings  gave  them  courage, 
and  as  the  mule  carried  all  the  heavy  luggage  and  the  tools  they  were 
light  in  body  and  joyous  in  spirit. 

When  towards  the  close  of  the  afternoon  they  thought  they  had 
-walked  far  enough  to  have  arrived  at  the  diggings,  and  did  not  see 
them,  they  became  melancholy,  fearing  lest  they  had  lost  their  way 
and  might  have  to  pass  another  night  in  the  mountains.  After  they 
had  been  silently  ascending  a  high  mountain  for  more  than  an  hour, 
Jan  Creps,  who  was  in  front  of  them,  turned  round  and  cried  out  with 


"  Praise  God,  my  friends!  there  they  are!  down  there!  Hurrah! 
the  diggings  !  " 

His  companions  rushed  up,  and  raising  their  arms  towards  the  sky, 
shouted,  — 

"Hurrah!  hurrah!" 

"See!  see!  "  said  Donatus.  "Are  those  the  diggings?  It  is  like 
a  nest  of  ants.  Where  do  all  those  men  come  from,  if  they  are  men? 
I  think  one  could  count  more  than  a  thousand.  Let  us  descend 
quickly,  my  friends;  if  all  those  fellows  scratching  at  the  earth  down 
there  like  moles  are  to  get  a  load  of  gold  there  will  not  remain  much 
for  those  who  come  later." 


110  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

Without  heeding  what  Donatus  said?  the  others  had  seated  them- 
selves on  the  slope  of  the  mountain  to  rest  a  little,  and  to  enjoy  at  the 
same  time  the  view  of  the  diggings,  which  they  all,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Brusseller,  saw  for  the  first  time.  From  the  place  where 
they  sat  the  bare  and  uneven  rock  plunged  many  hundreds  of  feet  into 
a  plain,  of  which  the  soil  was  visibly  composed  of  mud  and  stones. 
Half  a  mile  right  in  front  of  them  rose  a  rocky  mountain,  equally 
steep;  and  between  these  two  huge  ramparts  flowed  the  Yuba,  wind- 
ing through  the  middle  of  the  valley. 

This  plain,  on  whichever  side  one  looked  at  it,  was  covered  with 
a  swarm  of  gold-seekers,  which,  as  Donatus  had  said,  was  not  unlike 
an  ant's  nest. 

Thus  one  saw  them  drawing  the  auriferous  sand  from  hundreds  of 
holes,  pierce  the  soil  with  spades  and  pick-axes,  carry  the  earth  to  the 
river,  sift  and  wash  it.  The  diggers  and  the  washers  worked  with  a 
surprising  zeal;  their  movements  were  rapid;  they  ran  rather  than 
walked. 

On  each  side  of  the  river,  at  the  foot  of  the  high  mountains,  the 
tents  of  the  gold-seekers  were  planted;  all  separated  at  some  distance 
from  each  other,  but  presenting,  nevertheless,  the  regular  aspect  of  a 
military  camp.  Most  of  these  tents  were  covered  with  canvas  or  a 
sail,  but  one  saw  some  which  were  only  composed  of  the  green 
branches  of  pine  trees.  On  the  left,  at  the  foot  of  some  high  rocks, 
where  the  soil  was  a  little  raised,  the  stores  were  placed.  They  con- 
sisted of  about  twenty  tents,  and  amongst  them  some  six  or  seven 
were  distinguished  by  their  size.  A  crowd  swarmed  round  the  stores 
more  numerous  than  in  the  plain;  all  these  people  were  huddled 
together,  and  the  Flemings  heard,  even  at  that  distance,  the  wild 
songs  and  confused  cries  which  rose  from  the  multitude. 

The  Brusseller  explained  to  his  companions  what  they  saw,  for  he 
knew  this  digging,  where  he  had  worked  for  some  weeks.  Pardoes 
replied  to  an  exclamation  of  Donatus,  who  could  not  restrain  his  im- 


THE    DIGGINGS. 

patience,  and  wished  to  run  down  into  the  valley  to  begin  at  once  to 
collect  the  gold, — 

*  There  is  probably  nothing  for  us  to  do  here;  all  the  valley  has 
already  its  proprietors,  and  there  is  not  any  room  for  more." 

:'What!  what  did  you  say?"  said  Kwik.  "Proprietors.  The 
soil  in  California  belongs  to  no  one;  we  are  masters  here  as  much  as 
those  who  are  collecting  down  yonder  the  good  gold." 

*You  are  wrong  —  at  least  partly  so,"  replied  Pardoes.  "It  is 
true  that  there  are  no  written  laws  here,  but  there  are  more  or  less 
among  the  gold-seekers  certain  rules,  which  must  be  observed  by 
every  one  if  he  does  not  wish  to  draw  upon  himself  the  vengeance  of 
all.  It  is  accepted  here  that  those  who  first  occupy  a  place  to  seek 
for  gold  are  proprietors  of  that  place  upon  a  zone  of  thirty  feet  between 
the  river  and  the  beginning  of  the  high  rocks.  This  tongue  of  earth 
is  called  a  claim.  Each  company  of  gold-seekers  possesses  one. 
Supposing  the  claim  is  bad,  or  is  exhausted,  they  are  obliged  to  look 
for  another  that  does  not  belong  to  anybody.  In  this  valley  there  will 
be  nothing  for  us  to  do,  my  boy." 

"  Where  shall  we  go,  then  ?  " 

"Observe  how  those  rocks  on  either  side  of  the  river  approach 
each  other,  and  enclose  the  plain  like  a  basin.  Further  on  the  valley 
widens,  but  the  soil  still  contains  more  or  less  gold.  We  must  ascend 
higher  up  the  river  till  we  come  to  a  favorable  spot  which  is  not 
already  taken.  I  think  we  might  succeed  two  or  three  leagues  away 
from  this  valley.  There  we  shall  find  the  digging  the  Frenchman 
told  me  about.  But  we  had  better  pitch  our  tents  here  till  to-morrow 
morning." 

"Here  on  the  mountain?"  grumbled  Donatus;  "why  not  lower 
down,  near  the  others?  Oh,  I  long  to  sleep  upon  gold!  " 

"  We  shan't  find  any  free  spot  down  there.  There  is  very  little 
wood  and  our  mule  will  find  no  pasture.  Why  go  down  when  to- 
morrow we  shall  be  obliged  to  ascend  this  mountain  to  resume  our 
journey? " 


Il8  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

"  However,  I  should  like  to  see  what  is  going  on  at  the  diggings," 
said  Roozeman.  "  I  propose  we  draw  lots.  Two  of  us  shall  remain 
here  to  pitch  the  tent  and  guard  our  baggage  and  tools;  the  other  four 
can  go  to  the  diggings  and  stores.  Here  there  is  not  much  to  fear, 
and  especially  when  one  has  not  any  gold." 

The  proposal  was  accepted.  The  lot  fell  on  Creps  and  the  sailor 
to  remain.  The  others  hastened  to  throw  aside  their  knapsacks,  gave 
their  guns  to  their  comrades  to  take  care  of,  and  tried  to  find  a  place 
from  which  they  could  reach  the  valley. 

The  Brusseller  soon  found  a  dried-up  torrent-bed;  by  this,  fearing 
at  every  instant  to  break  their  necks,  they  at  last  gained  the  valley, 
along  which  they  slowly  made  their  way. 

As  they  passed  by  an  abandoned  well  the  Baron  picked  up  a  hand- 
ful of  the  earth;  and  after  examining  it  he  exclaimed, — 

"Gold!  I  see  gold!" 

"Gold?  Oh,  let  me  see  it!  let  me  see  it!"  cried  Kwik.  "It  is 
true!  it  is  gold!  gold  glistening  among  the  sand!  " 

:f  Why  can't  we  remain  here?"  asked  Victor. 

"  Certainly  we  must,  as  we  can  pick  up  gold  with  our  hands," 
added  Donatus. 

*  This  well  belongs  to  the  claim  of  some  men  who  have  been  busy 
before  us  washing  the  earth  in  water,"  said  Pardoes.  *  They  won't 
allow  us  to  work  here.  Hark!  they  are  crying  after  us  that  we  must 
go  on.  Come,  come;  don't  let  us  lose  any  more  time.  What  the 
Baron  holds  in  his  hand  is  sand  which  has  already  been  washed.  It 
contains  nothing  of  any  value.  Gold-dust  is  everywhere  mixed  with 
the  earth  here,  but  the  difficulty  consists  in  finding  a  spot  where  the 
sand  contains  gold  enough  to  yield  a  good  reward  for  one's  labor." 

They  soon  reached  the  river,  where  they  remained  for  some  time 
watching  four  men  who  were  busy  shaking  a  great  sieve  full  of  earth, 
while  two  others  constantly  poured  water  upon  it. 

When  at  last  the  sieve  was  opened  that  the  washed  gold  might  be 
taken  out  of  it,  Donatus  drew  back  in  amazement. 


THE   GOLD-SEEKERS    DESCENDING    BY   THE   TORRENT-BED. 


THE    DIGGINGS.  121 

"I  declare,"  he  cried,  w  it  is  all  gold  inside  it!  Hitherto  I  have 
always  believed  that  we  were  cheated,  but  now  I  must  believe  what  I 
see  with  my  own  eyes.  Ah!  ah!  Anneken!  a  sack  of  gold!  a  castle! 
Hurrah!  hurrah!  " 

And  he  began  to  cut  foolish  capers  and  clap  his  hands  with  as 
much  noisy  delight  as  if  he  already  possessed  the  treasures  he  dreamed 
of.  The  gold-seekers  looked  at  him  with  a  somewhat  contemptuous 
smile,  but  did  not  stop  in  their  work. 

A  joyful  expression  appeared  for  the  first  time  on  the  Baron's  face, 
whose  eyes  sparkled. 

"  These  men  are,  indeed,  not  altogether  unfortunate,"  said  Pardoes; 
w  but  don't  deceive  yourselves  as  to  the  amount  of  gold  you  saw 
glitter  in  their  trough.  It  is  not  worth  more  than  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  dollars.  It  is,  too,  the  fruit  of  half-a-day's  labor.  There  are 
five,  so  each  has  made  scarcely  four  dollars." 

Our  friends  walked  on  for  a  long  way  among  men  employed  in 
digging  and  washing  gold.  The  Brusseller  now  and  then  stopped  to 
question  them  as  to  the  chance  of  finding  a  free  claim  in  the  valley. 

Some  men,  who  seemed  to  be  finding  a  great  deal  of  gold,  were 
desirous  of  selling  their  claim  for  a  thousand  dollars,  but  as  Pardoes 
and  his  friends  only  possessed  fifteen  dollars  among  them  they  were 
obliged  to  refuse  this  offer. 

They  reached  the  stores,  and  standing  at  some  distance  from  the 
crowd,  watched  for  a  few  moments  the  strange  population  which 
swarmed  here.  All  were  very  dirty;  their  uncombed  beards  almost 
entirely  concealed  their  faces.  The  only  clothing  which  most  of  them 
wore  was  a  red  or  blue  flannel  shirt,  and  a  pair  of  trousers  fastened 
with  a  strap  round  the  loins.  Some  had  high  bootsj  others  thick 
shoes;  many  were  barefooted.  But  no  one  was  without  a  belt  with 
two  or  three  revolvers  or  a  big  knife  at  least  stuck  in  it. 

It  was  evident  that   most  of  these   men  were  excited   by  drink; 

many  of  them  had  to  be  dragged  along  by  their  friends.     Here  curses 

> 


122  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

might  be  heard,  there  knives  glittered,  further  on  the  report  of  a  revol- 
ver told  probably  a  double  murder  5  but  no  one  even  turned  his  head, 
and  all  went  about  their  business  without  troubling  themselves  about 
the  affairs  of  others. 

"What  a  set  of  brutes  we  have  fallen  among!"  cried  Kwik. 
rc  The  people  of  San  Francisco  are  angels  compared  with  these!  Tell 
us,  Pardoes,  when  shall  we  get  out  of  this?  I  should  like  to  live  long 
enough  to  pick  up  plenty  of  gold,  but" 

"Are  you  afraid?  "said  Pardoes,  laughing.  "  I  thought  you  only 
feared  ghosts." 

:?  Well,  one  needs  no  stretch  of  the  imagination  to  take  these  hor- 
rible-looking fellows  for  ghosts." 

"  I  think,   friend   Pardoes,"   said  Victor,  "  that   Kwik   is  right, 
don't  feel  much  inclined  to  mix  with  that  rough  set." 

"  Well,"  said  the  Baron,  "  we  must  go  and  see  what  is  going  on  at 
the  stores.  It  may  be  dangerous,  but,  if  needful,  we  must  use  our 
revolvers." 

"  Don't  speak  to  any  one,  then,"  said  the  Brusseller,  approaching  a 
shop;  "  do  as  the  others  do  —  that  is,  pass  on  your  way  without  turning 
round;  and  don't  interfere  with  other  people's  business." 

They  found  themselves  close  to  a  money-changer's.  It  was  a  can- 
vas tent,  open  in  front.  At  the  entrance  stood  a  wooden  table,  made 
of  coarse  planks,  and  resting  on  two  tree-trunks,  from  which  the  bark 
had  not  been  stripped.  A  pair  of  scales,  a  few  little  heaps  of  dollars 
and  piastres,  three  big  nuggets,  some  gold-dust,  a  sheet  of  white 
paper,  and  two  revolvers,  lay  on  the  table. 

Behind  it  sat  a  lean  man  in  spectacles.  He  leant  forward,  one 
hand  rested  on  the  scales,  the  other  on  a  revolver.  He  spied  the 
crowd,  motionless  and  silent,  like  a  fox  watching  his  prey. 

Two  gold-seekers  approached  the  counter;  one  drew  from  his 
breast  a  little  leather  bag,  which  hung  from  his  neck  by  a  string, 
emptied  the  contents  on  a  sheet  of  paper,  and  said  in  French, — 


THE    DIGGINGS. 


I23 


"  Here,  Papa  Crochu,  weigh  this  for  me  and  give  me  piastres  for  it; 
but  don't  rob  me  or  I  will  upset  your  shop! " 

:?  Who  wants  you?  "  grumbled  the  banker.  JCTake  your  gold  and 
go  elsewhere." 

"Come,  come!  no  more  words!  Weigh  this  gold,  I  tell  you!  I 
won't  turn  my  eyes  away  from  your  crooked  fingers." 

The  money-changer  plunged  his  hand  into  the  little  heap  of  gold- 
dust,  and  pretended  that  the  metal  was  not  pure;  the  other  swore  to 
the  contrary.  While  they  were  disputing  about  it  the  changer 
weighed  the  gold  and  counted  out  a  certain  sum  in  piastres.  The 
gold-seeker  left  the  shop,  saying  he  was  a  cunning  fox,  who  knew 
very  well  how  to  cheat. 

When  they  were  some  distance  from  the  money-changer's  tent, 
Pardoes  said, — 

w  I  know  that  Papa  Crochu;  he  is  the  greatest  rogue  to  be  found  in 
all  America.  He  passed  ten  years  at  the  galleys  in  France  for  forg- 
ing bank-notes.  You  think  he  has  not  cheated  that  simpleton?  He 
has  done  him  three  times.  In  the  first  place  his  weights  are  false, 
heavier  than  they  ought  to  be;  secondly,  he  has  not  given  him  nearly 
the  proper  price  for  his  gold;  and  thirdly,  he  pilfered  a  good  deal  of 
the  gold  through  the  paper." 

'?  Through  the  paper!  "  exclaimed  Donatus.  "  How  can  gold  pass 
through  paper?  " 

"In  this  way:  there  are  two  or  three  sheets,  one  above  the  other; 
in  the  middle  of  each  is  a  slit  which  you  can't  see.  While  they  are 
talking  and  disputing  the  changer  plays  with  his  fingers  in  the  gold, 
pretending  to  find  out  whether  it  is  pure,  but  he  is  moving  the  sheets 
of  paper  in  such  a  way  that  these  slits  open,  and  a  portion  of  the  gold 
passes  through.  In  this  way  he  stole  about  an  ounce  of  gold." 

;?  Why  didn't  you  tell  that  poor  fellow  how  he  was  being  cheated?  " 
said  Victor. 

"Oh,  we  can't  do  that  sort  of  thing  at  the  diggings,"  said  Pardoes; 


124  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

r?  we  should  get  into  no  end  of  a  scrape.  Every  one  for  himself;  so 
much  the  worse  for  him  who  allows  himself  to  be  cheated.  If  I  had 
said  a  word  the  changer  would  have  called  by  a  whistle,  a  cry,  or 
some  other  sign,  the  men  from  the  neighboring  stores,  and  we  should 
have  been  instantly  surrounded  by  about  twenty  threatening  vaga- 
bonds. The  proprietors  of  the  shops  have  made  a  sort  of  alliance  for 
their  general  defence.  Without  this  means  they  could  not  hold  them 
long." 

They  passed  at  this  moment  before  one  of  the  stores,  where  corn, 
lard,  and  other  provisions  were  being  sold. 

"A  ham!  "  cried  Donatus.  "  My  friends,  there  is  a  ham!  Pardoes, 
let  us  buy  it;  we  shall  have  a  feast.  It  makes  my  mouth  water.  Ham, 
my  friends!  it  is  a  treat  when  one  has  eaten  nothing  for  such  a  long 
time,  except  badly-cooked  lard  cakes!  " 

*  What  a  fool  you  are!  "  said  the  Brusseller.  r'This  ham  would 
cost,  perhaps,  four  ounces  of  gold." 

"  Four  ounces  of  gold?  it  would  be  a  good  thing  to  keep  pigs  here. 
Four  ounces  of  gold!  and  there  are  four  hams  to  one  pig!  " 

"  No,  but  let  us  buy  some  tobacco;  we  have  scarcely  any,  and  we 
must  not  be  without  this  comfort." 

They  approached  the  shop.  Pardoes  took  up  a  packet  of  tobacco 
which  might  weigh  about  two  pounds,  and  asked  the  price. 

"Five  dollars,"  was  the  reply. 

frMore  than  twenty-six  francs,"  grumbled  Donatus.  ''At  that 
price  I  could  buy  a  whole  cart-load  of  tobacco  in  Natten-Haesdonck." 

r?  There's  nothing  to  be  said,  my  friends,"  remarked  Pardoes. 
"  The  prices  rise  and  fall  here  more  than  in  the  Exchange.  We  have 
come  at  a  bad  time;  there  is  little  tobacco  in  the  stores.  If  we  wait 
till  to-morrow  we  shall  probably  have  to  pay  double  for  it.  Come, 
let  us  drink  a  glass  of  grog  in  this  large  tent." 

"  It  would  be  better  to  drink  a  bottle  of  wine,"  said  the  Baron,  who 
appeared  in  a  very  good  humor. 


THE    DIGGINGS. 


I25 


"  A  bottle  of  wine!  why,  that  would  cost  at  least  an  ounce  of  gold, 
and  we've  scarely  ten  dollars  among  us  all!" 

"Very  well;  the  grog,  then,  as  the  wine  is  too  costly  for  us." 

The  tent  they  entered  was  full  of  men  standing  upright  with 
glasses  in  their  hands,  for  there  were  no  seats:  so  as  soon  as  the 
Flemings  had  drank  their  grog,  for  which  useless  luxury  they  had  to 
pay  four  dollars,  they  left  the  place,  where  they  shuddered  at  the 
coarse  language  of  the  drunkards  whom  they  saw  staggering  about 
on  all  sides,  and  where  they  were  stifled  by  the  thick  cloud  of  tobacco- 
smoke  which  almost  prevented  them  from  breathing. 

"  Come,"  said  Pardoes,  "  we  have  had  enough  of  this.  We  must 
not  forget  our  friends  yonder,  who  also  will  want  to  pay  a  visit  to  the 
stores.  We  have  still  six  dollars;  we  must  give  two  to  Creps  and  the 
Ostender,  that  they  may  each  indulge  in  a  glass  of  grog." 

But  now  they  stopped  before  a  spacious  tent  which  seemed  full  of 
-people,  and  whence  a  loud  noise  proceeded,  as  if  a  quarrel  were  tak- 
ing place. 

"What  are  they  selling  in  there?"  asked  the  Baron. 

"  It's  a  gambling-house,"  replied  Pardoes. 

*Yes,  I  see  that  plainly  enough,"  said  Roozeman.  "Look  at  that 
unhappy  fellow  coming  out;  perhaps  in  one  hour  he  has  lost  the  for- 
tune which  he  won  from  the  earth  after  six  months  of  labor." 

"An  idea  strikes  me,"  said  the  Brusseller:  "the  few  dollars  we 
possess  may  still  be  very  useful  to  us.  Shall  we  try  our  luck  with 
them  at  the  gaming-table?  a  large  fortune  is  often  won  in  a  few 


minutes." 


"  No;  I  wouldn't  go  in  there,  not  for  a  lump  of  gold  as  big  as  my 
fist,"  exclaimed  Donatus.  "  I  don't  want  to  lose  the  lobe  of  my  other 
ear!" 

"And  our  companions  on  the  mountain,  too,"  urged  Victor;  "shall 
we  go  and  lose  the  money  which  belongs  to  them?  Moreover,  they 
are  fighting  in  there  " 


126  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

He  had  scarcely  uttered  the  words  when  a  pistol-shot  was  heard 
from  the  tent;  then  the  groups  of  gamblers  opened  to  allow  some  men 
to  pass  who  were  carrying  out  a  dead  man  by  the  arms  and  legs, 
while  above  their  heads  threatening  knives  were  glittering  and  ter- 
rible imprecations  filled  the  air.  The  victim  they  carried  out  had 
been  shot  in  the  breast,  and  the  blood  was  still  flowing  from  the  hor- 
rible wound.  No  sooner  had  the  bearers  disappeared  behind  the  tent 
than  all  within  wrent  on  just  as  before,  and  the  voice  of  the  croupier 
was  heard  above  the  murmur  of  the  gamblers.  The  Flemings,  much 
shocked,  continued  on  their  road  in  silence. 

''What  will  they  do  now  with  that  unhappy  man's  corpse?"  in- 
quired Roozeman. 

:f  They  will  dig  a  hole  at  the  foot  of  the  rock  and  cover  it  with 
earth  and  stones." 

*  Without  any  religious  ceremony?" 

w  None  whatever." 

w  And  is  there  no  clergyman  here  to  say  one  prayer  at  the  grave  ?  " 
asked  Donatus. 

"A   clergyman?"  repeated    Pardoes;   "a  priest  at  the   diggings? 
There  was  one  when  I  was  here  before.     He  came  with  good  inten- 
tions; he  spoke  seriously  to  the  men,  and  wished  to  remind  the  gold- 
seekers  that  they  were  Christians.    And  what  happened  to  him?    Th< 
poor  clergyman,  in  order  not  to  die  of  hunger,  was  forced  to  dig  foi 
gold  like  the  rest.     No  one  would  associate  with  him,  because  by  hi: 
exhortations  he  tried  to  restrain  the  wild  liberty  which  is  looked  upoi 
by  all  here  as  the  one  great  advantage  of  life  at  the  diggings.    He  wai 
obliged  to  engage  himself  as  a  laborer  in  the  service  of  a  gold-seeker. 
What  became  of  him  afterwards  I  don't  know." 

This  story,  and  the  sad  scene  they  had  just  witnessed,  so  affecte< 
Donatus  that  he  had  to  rub  his  eyes  with  the  sleeve  of  his  long  coal 
to  wipe  away  the  tears  which  dimmed  his  sight.  Roozeman  tried  t( 
cheer  his  friend  with  the  hope  that  God,  who  had  hitherto  protectei 


THE    DIGGINGS. 


I27 


them,  would  still  watch  over  them,  and  at  last  bring  them  back 
safe  and  well  to  happy  Belgium.  Kwik  was  soon  comforted;  and 
before  they  reached  their  bivouac  was  chatting  merrily  about  his  dear 
Anneken,  and  the  castle  in  which  they  were  both  to  live  when  he  had 
made  his  fortune  at  the  diggings. 

The  sailor  grumbled,  and  was  very  angry  with  them  for  staying 
away  so  long;  he  also  wanted  to  visit  the  stores,  and  as  night  was 
coming  on  he  pretended  that  he  would  now  be  deprived  of  that  pleas- 
ure. But  when  he  heard  that  grog  was  to  be  had  he  demanded  a  dollar, 
and  asked  Creps  to  go  with  him.  But  he  refused,  on  the  plea  that  he 
was  too  tired  and  sleepy;  so  the  Ostender  went  alone.  The  friends, 
after  they  had.  supped  and  posted  their  sentinel,  went  under  their  tent 
and  wrapped  themselves  in  their  blankets.  A  quarter  of  an  hour  after 
all  snored  so  loudly  that  they  might  be  heard  a  hundred  yards  off. 

Towards  eleven  o'clock,  Donatus,  as  sentinel,  was  walking  up  and 
down  beside  the  tent.  It  was  bright  moonlight,  though  the  moon  was 
only  in  her  first  quarter;  he  tried  to  forget  the  thought  of  ghosts  and 
spectres,  as  well  as  of  the  horrible  sights  he  had  seen  and  sounds  he 
had  heard  during  the  day;  he  gazed  down  at  the  valley  at  his  feet, 
where  hundreds  of  fires  were  still  burning,  and  where,  by  the  lurid 
light  of  the  flames,  he  could  distinguish  the  sentries  beside  the  tents. 

Suddenly  his  attention  was  aroused  by  the  sound  of  a  hoarse  voice 
which  proceeded  from  the  bushes.  It  sounded  as  if  men  were  dis- 
puting there,  for  he  heard  terrible  words  and  furious  threats.  Seeing 
some  one  approach  among  the  pines,  he  raised  his  musket  and  ex- 
claimed, "Who's  there?" 

"I  will  soon  wring  your  neck,  Yankee!"  replied  a  harsh  voice, 
which  sounded  like  the  growl  of  a  bear. 

"Oh,  it's  you,  Ostender,  is  it?"  cried  Kwik,  laughing.  "This 
way,  comrades,  this  way!  " 

"What  do  I  hear?"  howled  the  other,  who  was  still  in  imagina- 
tion struggling  with  invisible  men.  '  You  dare  say  I  am  a  coward? 
Say  it  once  more!  — then  die,  rogue!  " 


128  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

A  ball  whistled  close  by  Donatus'  ear. 

"Come,  come,  Ostender!  "  he  stammered  out;  "I  am  not  an 
enemy;  I  am  Kwik,  your  friend!  " 

But  he  had  scarcely  finished  the  words  when  the  sailor  threw  him- 
self upon  him  with  the  whole  weight  of  his  body,  seizing  him  by  the 
throat,  as  if  he  would  strangle  him.  Both  fell  over  and  rolled  on  the 
ground. 

The  pistol-shot  had  made  their  companions  spring  out  of  the  tent; 
they  found  poor  Kwik  nailed  to  the  ground  by  the  sailor  who  was 
kneeling  on  his  chest  and  yelling  like  a  madman. 

"Americans  silence  me!  I  will  crush  the  heart  of  the  strongest 
Yankee!" 

At  this  moment  his  friends  flew  to  the  aid  of  Donatus,  and  dragged 
him  from  the  grasp  of  the  sailor,  who,  however,  did  not  recognize 
them,  and  wanted  to  fight  with  them  all;  they  took  away  his  weapons 
and  did  all  they  could  to  calm  him,  but  he  kicked,  struggled,  and  bit 
like  a  madman. 

"The  lasso!  the  lasso!"  cried  the  Brusseller. 

Donatus  hastened  into  the  tent,  and  handing  it  to  Pardoes,  he  ex- 
claimed, — 

"  Here  it  is!  here  it  is!  He  should  be  bound  up  like  a  wild  beast. 
Quick!  quick!  he  will  draw  down  upon  us  a  punishment  from  Heaven 
by  his  horrible  words !  " 

Pardoes  tied  up  the  sailor  with  the  lasso.  The  drunkard  struggled 
a  little  longer,  then  he  fell  heavily  back  on  the  ground,  motionless. 
He  roared  like  a  lion;  his  curses  re-echoed  through  the  valley. 

"  Give  me  his  blanket,"  said  the  Brusseller,  "  and  don't  trouble 
yourselves  about  him  any  more;  he  is  drunk,  and  to-morrow  he  won't 
know  anything  that  he  has  done.  Go  back  to  the  tent,  comrades;  I 
will  mount  guard  and  watch  over  him  for  a  couple  of  hours.  In  ten 
minutes  he  will  be  fast  asleep." 

This  terrible  incident  deprived  poor  Donatus  of  sleep  for  some 


THE    DIGGINGS. 


I29 


time;  he  tried  to  talk  to  Creps,  but  the  only  answer  he  got  was  a 
heavy  snore.  He  let  his  head  fall  back  on  his  knapsack,  and  said 
sadly,  — 

"  Happy  fellows!  they  sleep  and  snore  as  if  they  were  on  a  feather- 
bed at  Antwerp.  Why  isn't  my  heart  as  hard  as  the  case  in  which 
the  good  God  has  enclosed  it?  Gold!  gold!  I  would  rather  fight 
against  a  seven-headed  dragon."  And  he,  too,  overcome  by  fatigue, 
sank  into  a  heavy  slumber. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

THE    GOLD-DIGGERS. 

N"EXT  morning,  at  breakfast-time,  the  sailor  was  still  snoring 
beneath  a  couple  of  blankets  on  the  ground.  They  were 
obliged  to  roll  him  to  the  right  and  the  left  to  make  him  open 
his  eyes.  He  got  up  and  rubbed  his  stupefied  head  like  one  who 
does  not  know  where  he  is,  or  what  is  going  on.  His  companions 
reminded  him  of  his  conduct  on  the  previous  evening,  and  did  not 
spare  their  reproaches;  the  Baron  was  especially  indignant,  and  his 
bitter  words  deeply  angered  the  sailor.  He  excused  himself  by  say- 
ing that  he  was  drunk,  and  had  had  a  quarrel  with  some  Yankees  who 
were  also  tipsy.  Gambling  was  the  cause  of  it  all;  he  had  staked 
his  dollar  and  won  fifteen,  all  of  which  he  had  spent  in  drink.  He 
asserted,  too,  that  the  grog  had  been  drugged.  As  his  friend  Pardoes 
took  his  part  the  incident  was  pardoned  and  forgotten. 

"Don't  let  us  lose  any  more  time,"  said  the  Brusseller;  "go  and 
load  the  mule,  Donatus;  we  will  take  up  our  tent  and  get  ready  for 
our  journey.  We  shall  have  to  walk  for  three  hours  to-day  through 
a  difficult  country.  We  will  try  as  far  as  possible  to  follow  the  course 
of  the  river.  I  know  pretty  well  where  are  the  diggings  which  the 
Frenchman  told  me  about.  We  have  enough  provisions  for  a  week, 
and  we  shall  find  some  stores  higher  up  the  river,  where  we  can  buy 
fresh  ones  with  the  gold  we  hope  to  find." 

They  wound  among  the  defiles  and  bendings  of  the  mountain 
chain;  twenty  times  they  approached  the  river,  and  left  it  again  to 
avoid  the  deep  beds  of  dried-up  torrents;  at  last  they  reached  a 
130 


THE    GOLD-DIGGERS. 

height  whence  they  saw  a  little  valley,  in  the  midst  of  which  flowed 
the  Yuba. 

Pardoes  for  a  moment  gazed  into  the  valley,  then  he  said,  — 

"Comrades,  we  are  there.  That  is  the  place  which  the  French- 
man left.  Let  us  cut  down  here  the  wood  we  require  for  pitching 
our  tent,  for  setting  up  our  trough,  and  making  our  fire.  Then  we 
will  go  down  and  find  a  suitable  place  for  beginning  our  work:  we 
are  quite  alone,  and  have  nothing  to  fear  from  other  gold-seekers." 

Happy  at  having  at  last  reached  the  end  of  their  journey,  they 
began  to  cut  down  the  wood,  and  in  a  short  time  had  all  they  required 
for  the  day.  They  wished  at  once  to  look  for  gold,  but  Pardoes  made 
them  set  up  their  tent,  to  store  their  provisions  and  arms  in  it,  order- 
ing Donatus  to  lead  the  mule  towards  a  part  of  the  valley  covered 
with  green  herbs. 

w  Come  now,"  he  said,  as  soon  as  they  had  done  this,  w  take  up 
your  spades,  shovels,  and  a  tin  plate." 

As  they  followed  him  eagerly,  scanning  earth,  river,  and  rocks,  to 
find  a  favorite  spot,  he  added,  — 

"Don't  be  too  impatient,  friends;  it's  not  certain  that  we  shall 
find  any  gold-earth  to-day.  It  is  often  found  twenty  feet  below  the 
surface,  but  you  mustn't  be  discouraged  for  that.  I  think  we  shall 
do  well  to  dig  at  the  spot  where  we  now  are;  it  is  in  the  same  line 
as  those  hollows  where  the  Frenchman  and  his  companions  found  so 
much  gold." 

They  set  to  work  with  vigor.  The  Baron  made  the  wildest  haste; 
but  after  a  couple  of  hours  his  delicate  hands  were  covered  with 
blisters,  and  he  proposed  to  rest  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 

The  sailor,  who  had  not  forgotten  his  harsh  reproaches  for  his 
drunkenness,  exclaimed  that  they  would  not  hear  of  such  a  thing; 
they  had  not  come  to  California  to  be  lazy,  and  that  noble  and  peasant 
must  work  alike. 

The  Baron,  stung  by  this  speech,  uttered  some  sharp  words.     A 


132  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

violent  dispute  arose,  which  would  have  ended  in  blows  had  not 
Pardoes  intervened. 

After  resting  for  a  while  they  set  to  work  with  renewed  ardor. 

Every  half-hour  Donatus  inquired  of  the  Brusseller,  "  Are  we  not 
there  yet?  Here  is  a  handful  of  earth.  Look  well  if  gold  does  not 
glisten  in  it." 

The  others  were  not  less  impatient,  closely  examining  the  little 
pebbles  and  clay  which  their  spades  threw  up,  hoping  to  discover  the 
glittering  grains  of  gold;  but  Pardoes  told  them  they  might  spare 
themselves  the  trouble,  for  they  would  not  find  any  gold  till  they  had 
worked  through  a  bed  of  gray  or  red  sand. 

Night  was  coming  on,  they  had  already  dug  so  deeply  that  they 
now  saw  nothing  but  the  sky  above  their  heads.  Discouragement 
began  to  cool  their  enthusiasm  and  was  making  them  feel  their 
extreme  fatigue,  when  Pardoes  exclaimed  with  joy:  — 

"Here  we  are!  we  have  reached  the  gold!  " 

Frantic  shouts  replied  to  this  news,  and  a  three-times-three  hurrah 
arose  from  the  yawning  pit. 

"Quick,  give  me  a  couple  of  spadesful  of  that  reddish  sand;  I 
will  wash  it  in  the  river,  and  then  I  can  judge  what  we  are  to  expect 
from  it." 

All  came  out  of  the  pit  with  feverish  curiosity  and  beating 
hearts,  following  Pardoes,  who  dipped  the  tin  plate  into  the  river, 
shook  and  washed  the  earth  that  was  in  it  in  such  a  way  that  it  flowed 
away  with  the  water,  while  the  gold  and  stones,  which  were  heaviest, 
remained  at  the  bottom  of  the  plate.  Then  he  removed  the  stones  as 
well  as  he  could,  and  went  on  washing  till  he  was  able  to  judge  of 
the  quantity  of  the  gold.  This  labor  lasted  a  long  time,  and  the  night 
was  already  so  far  advanced  that  Pardoes  could  hardly  see  what  was 
at  the  bottom  of  the  plate. 

rrWell,  well,"  said  Donatus,  trembling  with  impatience,  "what 
have  we  found?  Is  there  gold  —  much  gold?" 


THE    GOLD-DIGGERS.  133 

w  There  is  gold,"  said  the  Brusseller,  showing  them  the  plate. 
"  Look  at  the  grains  glittering  in  the  sand.  Much  or  little  I  cannot 
judge,  because  of  the  darkness.  Let  us  light  the  fire  and  we  shall 


see  it." 


They  all  followed  him  to  the  side  of  the  tent.  Donatus  was  half- 
mad  with  joy.  He  had  no  doubt  that  they  would  find  in  a  short  time 
great  treasures,  and  that  he  would  soon  be  able  to  quit  a  country 
where  everything  was  bad  and  horrible  —  the  gold  excepted.  When 
the  fire  was  lighted,  and  they  could  see  by  the  flames  from  the  resin- 
ous wood  what  was  in  the  plate,  Pardoes  grumbled,  — 

'  There  is  the  gold,  you  see  it  shining;-  but  the  quantity  is  small. 
If  we  do  not  find  earth  which  contains  more  numerous  and  larger 
grains  we  shall  not  gain  enough  to  buy  our  daily  food  at  the  .stores. 
Do  not  be  discouraged  by  a  first  attempt,  this  bed  of  sand  is  perhaps 
thick,  and  it  may  become  very  rich  at  the  bottom." 

His  companions  took  up  the  plate  by  turns  and  looked  with  aston- 
ishment at  the  little  grains,  almost  without  any  weight,  which  shone 
at  the  bottom  in  the  light  of  the  flames. 

"Come,  let  us  continue  to  work  an  hour  or  two,"  said  the  sailor; 
"  the  darkness  will  not  hinder  us  making  a  deeper  hole." 

*Work?  work  again  now?"  exclaimed  the  Baron,  showing  his 
hands,  one  of  which  was  red  with  blood. 

"  No,  no,  let  us  sup,  and  then  lie  down  as  usual,"  said  Pardoes. 
"  It  is  not  prudent  to  exhaust  in  a  single  day  all  our  strength,  nor  to 
risk  making  ourselves  ill;  we  ought  to  work  so  as  to  be  able  to  work 
a  long  time." 

There  was  nothing  to  reply  to  this;  the  supper  was  prepared  and 
eaten  with  ferocious  appetites.  They  placed  the  sailor  as  sentinel, 
and  all  the  others  drew  themselves  under  the  tent  and  went  to  sleep, 
dreaming  of  the  gold  that  they  would  find  on  the  morrow. 

On  the  following  day,  early  in  the  morning,  they  carried  the  trough 
to  the  bank  of  the  river  and  placed  it  upon  wooden  supports,  so  that 
it  could  be  easily  moved. 


THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

This  instrument  has  somewhat  the  form  of  a  small  boat.  The 
upper  part  consists  of  a  coarse  sieve;  below  it,  near  the  ground,  are 
nailed  several  laths,  crossed  over  each  other,  in  the  middle  of  which 
is  an  opening.  The  earth  with  which  the  gold  is  mingled  is  placed 
upon  the  sieve,  and  much  water  poured  upon  it;  it  is  then  violently 
shaken.  The  sieve  retains  the  stones  and  pebbles,  only  allowing  the 
dust  and  auriferous  earth  to  pass  through.  This  earth  by  the  mixture 
with  the  water  is  changed  into  liquid  mud;  and  with  the  coarser  part 
of  the  gravel  it  passes  through  the  opening  below,  while  the  grains  of 
gold  mixed  with  a  little  sand  remain  behind  in  the  laths.  This  re- 
mainder is  dried  in  the  sun  on  a  plate,  then,  on  blowing  strongly,  the 
sand  is  dispersed,  and  the  fine  gold  remains  in  grains,  which  some- 
what resemble  a  fish's  scales. 

That  morning  they  worked  as  eagerly  as  on  the  previous  day,  ex- 
citing each  other  by  joyous  cries;  they  ran  with  their  load  of  earth 
from  the  pit  to  the  river,  shaking  the  trough  violently  and  pouring 
torrents  of  water  in  the  sieve.  Pardoes  was  the  least  sanguine  of  the 
party.  When  his  companions  clapped  their  hands  with  delight,  and 
Donatus  danced  for  joy,  he  shook  his  head,  and  a  doubtful  smile 
passed  over  his  lips.  When  the  sun  had  risen  high  in  the  heavens 
and  the  dinner-hour  had  arrived,  he  ordered  the  work  to  cease,  and 
began  to  separate  the  sand  from  the  gold-dust  by  blowing  upon  it. 
His  friends  were  disappointed  to  see  how  the  glittering  grains  were 
reduced  by  this  operation.  The  Baron  sighed,  the  sailor  grumbled, 
Victor  looked  down  despondingly,  Donatus  pouted,  while  Creps 
laughed  at  them  all.  However,  after  they  had  washed  several  plates- 
ful  of  sand  they  obtained  a  quantity  of  gold-dust,  which  Pardoes  valued 
at  about  two  ounces,  for  which  they  would  receive  at  the  stores  in 
money,  or  in  goods,  twenty-eight  dollars,  or  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  francs. 

Kwik  expressed  contentment,  but  Victor  said,  sadly,  "  It  doesn't 
promise  well.  At  this  rate,  with  this  rude  labor  and  this  doglike  life, 


THE    GOLD-DIGGERS. 


'35 


I 


we  shall  in  six  months  have  amassed  fifty  thousand  francs.  Not  even 
ten  thousand  francs  for  each  of  us !  " 

w  Don't  lose  heart,  Victor,  my  boy,"  cried  Pardoes.  '  You  bother 
me  with  your  childish  calculations.  Why,  nothing  at  all  would  re- 
main for  us  at  the  end  of  six  months.  Do  you  imagine  we  shan't  eat 
anything?  Why,  to  keep  in  good  health  and  preserve  our  strength, 
in  fact,  to  buy  what  we  require  for  our  food  and  other  wants,  we 
ought  to  find  at  least  half  an  ounce  of  gold  a  day  each.  You  appear 
surprised!  Look,  my  shoes  are  worn  out,  I  must  buy  a  new  pair; 
how  much  do  you  think  a  pair  of  bad  shoes  costs  at  the  stores?  Two- 
thirds  of  an  ounce  of  gold,  more  than  fifty  francs!  It  would  be  a 
good  thing  if  we  each  had  a  pair  of  water-proof  boots,  to  prevent  our 
getting  cold  by  standing  with  our  feet  constantly  in  the  river.  Such 
boots  cost  about  ten  ounces  of  gold,  five  hundred  francs! " 

All  bent  down  their  heads  in  gloomy  disappointment.  Donatus 
muttered,  — 

"Ass  that  you  are!  here  is  the  well-merited  reward  of  your  silly 
eagerness  for  wealth!  Here  you  must  sit  pining  away,  thousands  of 
miles  from  happy  Natten-Haesdonck  " 

w  Come,  let's  go  to  dinner,"  said  the  Brusseller.  rc  I'm  dying  of 
hunger." 

They  ate  their  dinner  in  silence,  but  with  the  appetite  of  famishing 
wolves.  Pardoes  remarked  towards  the  close  of  the  meal, — 

f  You  are  wrong  to  be  discouraged,  comrades,  because  we  have 
not  hit  on  a  lucky  spot.  Gold-seeking  is  like  a  lottery;  there  are 
people  who  work  for  months  and  find  nothing,  and  then  suddenly,  in 
a  single  day,  light  upon  a  large  fortune.  I  knew  a  man  whose  only 
companion  was  his  son,  and  who  in  a  couple  of  months  drew  sixty 
thousand  francs  worth  of  nuggets  from  the  same  hole.  We  must  have 
patience.  If  we  don't  find  gold  in  sufficient  quantity  here,  we  won't 
waste  our  time,  but  go  on  to  the  unexplored  digging  of  the  Pen  river. 
There  there  are  plenty  of  nuggets,  and  large  ones." 


136  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

"  But  are  you  certain  to  find  the  place  ? "  asked  Creps. 

"  Quite.  The  French  gold-seeker  described  it  minutely,  and 
sketched  out  for  me  on  a  piece  of  paper,  which  I  have  in  my  pocket, 
the  road  thither  from  the  Yuba  river." 

"Why  not  start  at  once,  then?  "  asked  Kwik. 

"Start  there!"  cried  Pardoes.  r'To  go  to  an  unknown  digging 
we  must  have  provisions  enough  to  keep  us  for  a  whole  month. 
It  is  at  least  a  week's  journey  from  here,  and  there  are  no  stores 
there;  so  we  can't  go  there  till  we've  saved  some  hundreds  of 
dollars." 

'*  Well,  let  us  then  make  a  virtue  of  necessity,  and  continue  our 
work  with  fresh  courage,"  said  Creps.  Following  his  advice,  they 
shook  the  sieve  so  vigorously  that  by  the  evening  they  had  collected 
six  ounces  of  gold  as  the  result  of  their  day's  work.  Though  it  was 
not  a  brilliant  success, yet  their  hopes  were  revived,  and  they  resumed 
their  work  next  morning  full  of  confidence. 

But  by  noon  they  had  obtained  scarcely  anything,  and  most  of  them 
wished  to  go  to  some  other  part  of  the  valley;  but  Pardoes  would  not 
consent;  he  said  they  must  dig  down  as  deeply  as  possible  to  see  if 
they  could  reach  the  subterranean  rock,  where  they  might  possibly 
find  nuggets  and  be  rewarded  for  their  labor. 

So  they  worked  on  for  two  whole  days,  but  with  such  ill-success 
that  when  on  the  fifth  day  they  collected  all  their  gold  into  a  tin  plate, 
it  was  found  to  be  only  about  a  pound's  weight  —  less  than  enough 
for  them  to  live  upon  for  a  week. 

More  and  more  discouraged  they  worked  on  silently  and  in  ill- 
humor.  Now  and  then  they  exchanged  sharp  and  angr}^  words  with 
each  other.  Suddenly  Victor,  who  was  in  the  pit  below,  called  his 
companions.  All  hastened  up,  fearing  lest  Roozeman  might  have 
been  buried  by  the  earth  falling  in,  but  their  hearts  beat  violently 
when  he  held  up  in  his  hand' a  nugget  as  big  as  a  bean,  exclaiming,  in 
a  voice  choked  by  emotion, — 


THE    GOLD-DIGGERS. 

w Rejoice,  comrades!  the  treasure  is  found!  I've  several  pieces  of 
gold  like  this  shining  down  here  in  the  pit! " 

Donatus  uttered  a  cry  and  sprang  wildly  down  into  the  pit,  at  the 
risk  of  breaking  his  legs,  knocking  violently  against  Victor's  shoulder. 

The  Baron  laughed  in  a  strange  way,  and  talked  in  a  whisper  of 
Paris,  treasures,  and  horses. 

They  had  reached  the  rock,  and  Pardoes'  prediction  was  realized, 
for  ten  nuggets  were  found  in  a  stratum  of  chalky  stones.  Now  they 
searched  on  with  feverish  ardor;  they  laughed,  shouted,  sang  —  their 
joy  knew  no  bounds.  The  nuggets  they  found  were  for  the  most  part 
very  small,  the  largest  about  the  size  of  peas. 

Towards  evening,  when  the  pit  was  quite  emptied  out,  they  ex- 
amined the  nuggets  they  had  collected,  and  asked  the  Brusseller  to 
value  them.  He  estimated  their  worth  to  be  at  least  eighteen  hun- 
dred francs. 

The  others  received  this  announcement  with  noisy  applause. 
Kwik  and  the  sailor,  notwithstanding  their  fatigue,  began  to  dance 
and  sing  as  if  they  were  at  a  village  fair. 

w  Cease  that  folly!  "  cried  Pardoes,  w  and  listen  to  what  I  have  to 
say.  It  is  as  foolish  to  be  carried  away  by  excess  of  joy  as  it  is  to 
hang  down  your  heads  at  the  least  reverse  of  fortune.  We  have 
worked  this  week  like  horses,  we  can't  continue  to  do  so;  suppose  we 
reckon  these  five  days  of  work  as  six;  with  our  gold-dust  and  nug- 
gets together  we  have  amassed  two-and-a-half  pounds  of  gold,  that  is 
forty  ounces.  If  we  use  twenty  ounces  a  week  for  our  provisions, 
coffee  and  tobacco  included,  twenty  ounces  remain  to  us.  That  at  the 
end  of  a  season  of  six  months  would  only  make  seven  thousand 
francs  apiece.  You  see  there  is  no  reason  for  this  great  rejoicing." 

r'  But  we  know  the  nuggets  are  there  under  the  ground,  and  we 
shall  unearth  them,"  murmured  the  sailor. 

''Very  well,  that's  my  idea,  too;  but  remember,  we  may  have  to 
work  for  a  whole  week  to  reach  them,  and  possibly  not  find  any  after 


138  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

all.  The  place  may  not  be  good  enough  for  us  to  make  our  fortune 
here,  still  it  may  supply  us  with  the  necessary  resources  for  our  jour- 
ney to  the  unexplored  diggings  of  the  Pen  river." 

After  supper  was  over  the  Brusseller  remarked  further,  — 
"  To-morrow,  friends,  we  will  repose.  They  don't  work  on  Sun- 
day at  the  diggings.  The  gold-seekers  on  that  day  generally  visit  the 
stores  and  have  a  better  dinner  than  usual.  It  is  their  custom,  too,  to 
divide  the  gold  they  have  found  equally  among  them;  but  as  we  have 
in  our  party  some  who  drink  more  than  is  good  for  them,  I  propose 
that  you  let  me  take  charge  of  the  gold  for  as  long  a  time  as  we  are 
near  the  stores,  otherwise  our  good  resolution  to  save  may  come  to 
naught." 

The  sailor  grumbled  a  little,  for  he  knew  the  measure  was  directed 
against  himself;  but  he  submitted  at  last,  and  the  others  quite  ap- 
proved of  Pardoes'  proposal. 


THE    MULE   GALLOPING   OFF   WITH    KWIK. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

LYNCH    LAW. 

IT  was  late  when  they  breakfasted  next  morning,  but  a  long  sleep 
had  done  them  much  good,  and  they  were  all  in  a  very  cheerful 
humor. 

Just  as  they  were  about  to  start  for  the  stores,  Donatus  went  to  look 
for  the  mule,  which  he  said  he  would  ride,  to  give  it  a  little  exercise. 
The  others  had  nothing  to  say  against  it,  so  five  of  them  started,  the 
lots  having  decided  that  the  Baron  should  guard  the  tent. 

The  mule,  which  had  for  five  days  been  grazing  in  a  good  pasture, 
-was  very  lively,  and  showed  a  strange  disposition  to  gallop.  Donatus 
had  no  little  trouble  to  hold  him  back,  and  was  always  a  long  way 
ahead  of  his  friends.  After  walking  about  half-an-hour  they  reached 
the  road  which  led  from  the  different  diggings  to  the  stores; 
here  were  many  gold-seekers,  either  going  in  the  same  direction  or 
returning  to  their  tents  laden  with  provisions.  They  seemed  for  the 
most  part  quiet  and  good-humored.  This  so  emboldened  Donatus 
that  he  allowed  the  mule  to  gallop  for  some  minutes,  and  thus  got  at 
least  a  quarter  of  a  league  in  advance  of  his  companions. 

This  arrangement  was  to  have  a  most  unexpected  result.  The 
mule,  having  reached  a  certain  spot,  turned  his  head  on  all  sides  as  if 
he  smelt  or  heard  something  extraordinary.  Then  he  began  to  gallop 
without  heeding  either  the  bridle  or  the  voice  of  his  rider.  Notwith- 
standing all  Kwik's  efforts  the  obstinate  animal  flew  rapidly  onwards. 

On  turning  round  a  mountain-side,  Donatus  saw  the  stores  and  the 
great  crowds  assembled  before  them.  He  cried  and  pulled  at  the 
mule  to  stop  it;  but  the  beast,  listening  to  nothing,  led  him  right 

141 


142  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

through  the  crowd  up  to  a  corn-dealer's  store,  where  he  suddenly 
stopped. 

*  What  can  the  stupid  animal  have  in  his  head  ?  "  grumbled  Kwik. 
"  Suppose  he  wants  to  have  some  dry  provender,  but  that  shan't  come 
under  his  nose;  he  would  like  to  eat  two  ounces  of  gold  worth." 

Saying  these  words  he  jumped  off  the  mule,  and  tried  to  drag  it 
away  from  the  store;  but  at  that  moment  a  hideous  woman  appeared 
from  the  further  end  of  the  tent,  and  raising  her  arms,  she  exclaimed 
in  English, — 

"I  declare!  it  is  our  old  Uncle  Jack!  Here  is  our  poor  cousin 
William's  murderer!  The  animal  knows  his  stable  —  he  has  betrayed 
the  wretch!" 

And  whilst  Kwik,  who  did  not  understand  a  word,  was  gazing 
about  with  an  astonished  air,  she  cried  and  howled  so  loudly  that  a 
crowd  of  men  hastened  up  from  the  other  stores. 

The  woman  related  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  that  a  fortnight  ago  her 
cousin  had  started  for  Sacramento,  with  two  other  muleteers,  to  buy 
flour;  that  on  the  way  they  had  been  attacked  by  brigands,  who  had 
treacherously  murdered  her  Cousin  William.  William's  mule  now 
stood  at  the  tent-door,  and  doubtless  his  murderer  too. 

A  man  sprang  upon  Donatus,  seized  him  by  the  collar,  and  shook 
him  rudely,  while  he  whispered  in  his  ear  in  French, — 

"Ah,  rogue!  I  was  sent  through  you  into  the  '  Lion's  Den'  on 
board  the  f  Jonas! '  Now  your  last  hour  has  come!  " 

And  then  he  began  to  shout  in  English,  w  Lynch  law!  lynch  law! 
a  rope!  a  rope!  to  the  gallows  with  the  murderer! " 

Kwik  tried  to  justify  himself  in  all  the  languages  he  knew. 

tf  I  bon  gar$on  —  good  boy.  Donderwetter,  Christian,  I,  Donatus 
Kwik." 

His  strange  jargon  made  some  of  those  present  laugh;  but  the  vin- 
dictive woman  brought  a  rope,  and  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  the  Red 
Moustache  had  thrown  a  slip-knot  round  the  poor  fellow's  neck. 


LYNCH    LAW. 


"Bring  that  empty  barrel!"  he  cried:  "we  will  hang  him  on  that 
pole  yonder!  " 

Kwik  was  thrown  upon  the  barrel.  The  Red  Moustache  stood  up 
behind  him  and  tied  the  end  of  the  rope  to  the  cross-bar  on  the  top 
of  the  pole. 

Donatus,  when  he  saw  that  it  was  a  serious  matter,  and  that  he 
could  not  defend  himself  against  the  furious  crowd,  which  demanded 
his  immediate  death,  threw  himself  on  his  knees  upon  the  barrel,  and 
began  to  pray,  raising  his  eyes,  filled  with  tears,  to  heaven. 

When  he  felt  the  knot  round  his  throat  he  murmured,  — 

"O  Lord,  have  pity  on  my  poor  soul!  Adieu,  Anneken!  adieu 
until  we  meet  in  another  world! " 

This  attitude,  and  the  devotion  that  could  be  read  upon  the  wretched 
face  of  Donatus,  inspired  some  of  the  bystanders  with  pity.  Five  or 
six  advanced  and  cried  to  the  Red  Moustache,  — 

"Stop!  stop!  it  is  not  thus  that  Lynch  law  should  be  applied! 
Give  the  unfortunate  man  time  to  justify  himself." 

"  Hang  him!  hang  him!  "  cried  other  voices. 

But  those  who  were  opposed  to  the  immediate  execution  drew  out 
their  revolvers,  and  said,  — 

"According  to  Lynch  law  the  people  judge.  We  are  the  people, 
and  we  will  judge!  " 

The  Red  Moustache,  who  feared  a  bullet,  remained  standing  on 
the  barrel  with  the  rope  in  his  hand. 

Donatus  was  questioned  in  two  or  three  different  languages  by  his 
protectors  to  try  and  find  out  how  he  got  possession  of  the  mule;  but 
the  only  thing  they  could  make  out  from  his  answers  was  that  he  had 
found  it.  The  terrified  young  man  wept  and  sobbed  aloud,  and  his 
strange  language  did  not  thereby  become  any  plainer. 

Suddenly  the  brother  of  the  murdered  William  rushed  in  from  a 
distant  store,  and  demanded  in  furious  terms  the  immediate  death  of 
the  guilty  man. 


144  THE    BOYS    OF     THE    SIERRAS. 

His  protectors,  convinced  that  they  could  not  obtain  any  satisfac- 
tory explanations  to  clear  the  accused,  ceased  to  defend  him,  and 
retired. 

In  an  instant  the  Red  Moustache  had  tied  the  rope  to  the  post,  and 
had  already  raised  his  foot  to  launch  his  innocent  victim  into  eternity, 
when  suddenly  a  terrible  cry  of  horror  burst  from  behind  the  crowd 
of  spectators.  A  young  man  with  light  hair,  followed  by  three  other 
tall  fellows,  jumped  into  the  circle,  drew  by  a  movement  quick  as 
lightning  a  knife  out  of  his  belt,  cut  the  rope,  and  pressed  in  his  arms 
the  supposed  assassin  with  signs  of  affection. 

"Ah!  ah!  "  cried  Creps,  pointing  his  pistol  at  the  Red  Moustache, 
"you  would  be  the  executioner  of  this  poor  Donatus!  Make  the 
slightest  movement,  and  I  will  stretch  you  dead  on  the  earth,  like  a 
dog  that  you  are !  " 

There  was  a  great  disturbance  in  the  crowd;  some  would  like  to 
see  Lynch  law  take  its  course;  others  took  the  side  of  Donatus  and 
his  comrades. 

It  was  very  probable  that  knives  and  pistols  would  be  brought  out, 
and  that  a  bloody  combat  was  about  to  ensue. 

But  Roozeman,  who  still  held  his  friend  in  his  arms,  was  deeply 
moved  at  the  danger  which  threatened  him.  He  advanced  into  the 
centre  of  the  circle,  and  said  in  very  good  English, — 

"  Gentlemen,  I  pray  you  let  me  speak  for  a  moment.  You  will,  I 
know,  be  grateful  to  me  afterwards;  for  I  shall  save  you  from  doing 
an  act  of  injustice  which  men  of  honor  like  you  would  not  deliberately 
commit.  You  shall  judge;  we  will  quietly  submit  to  your  decision. 
May  I  speak  ?  " 

His  hearers  were  touched,  less  by  what  he  said  than  by  the  pleas- 
ant tone  of  his  voice. 

"  Speak!  speak!  "  they  cried  from  all  sides. 

Then  Roozeman,  in  short  but  telling  words,  related  with  touching 
eloquence  how  they  had  found  the  mule  on  their  journey;  how  they 


LYNCH    LAW. 


H5 


had  saved  John  Miller  from  a  certain  death,  and  how  they  had  seen 
the  very  man  who  was  now  standing  on  the  barrel  about  to  wreak  his 
vengeance  on  an  innocent  victim  by  acting  as  his  executioner  in  the 
society  of  a  band  of  bushrangers.  He  told  them,  too,  how  John 
Miller  had  declared  to  them  that  it  was  the  same  man  who  had  shot 
him  in  the  foot. 

This  speech,  although  it  did  not  actually  prove  the  innocence  of 
the  accused,  made  a  favorable  impression  on  most  of  those  present; 
but  a  half-drunken  fellow  now  got  up  to  speak.  With  many  jokes  he 
excited  general  laughter  among  the  crowd,  and  asserted  that  all  that 
was  to  be  gathered  from  the  words  of  the  previous  orator  was  that 
there  were  now  two  bushrangers  to  hang  instead  of  one.  Most  of 
those  present  applauded  this  sentiment.  Ill-omened  cries  arose  from 
all  sides,  and  there  was  a  decided  wish  to  hang  Donatus  as  well  as  the 
Red  Moustache. 

Suddenly  a  man,  whose  costume  showed  him  to  be  a  muleteer, 
pushed  his  way  through  the  crowd,  and  shouted,  in  a  voice  which 
overpowered  every  other  sound,  — 

"Gentlemen,  I  was  with  poor  William  when  the  bushrangers 
attacked  us.  The  fellow  who  shot  my  poor  friend  through  the  breast 
was  none  other  than  that  rascal  with  the  red  moustaches.  I  remem- 
ber him  well,  and  I  will  stake  my  life  on  the  truth  of  my  words." 

A  storm  of  cries  for  vengeance  arose  from  the  crowd. 

"The  executioner  to  the  gallows!  Kill  the  Red  Moustache!  To 
the  rope  with  the  bushranger!  "  sounded  on  all  sides. 

Perceiving  that  Creps  had  turned  his  eyes  away  from  him,  the  Red 
Moustache  sprang  to  the  ground  and  fled  among  the  tents;  but  a 
great  number  of  the  gold-seekers  followed  him,  shouting,  and  just  as 
he  reached  the  foot  of  the  rocks  he  fell  lifeless,  pierced  by  ten  bullets. 

The  crowd  now  rapidly  dispersed,  and  each  man  went  on  his  way, 
as  if  nothing  remarkable  had  happened. 

Donatus  was  very  sad;  he  had,  he  said,  by  a  special  intervention 


146  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

of  Providence,  preserved  his  life;  but  he  had  lost  his  beloved  mule, 
as  its  owners  '  ad  led  it  away  into  their  tent.  He  saw  the  animal  in 
the  distance,  gazing  sadly  after  him. 

His  friends  had  no  little  difficulty  to  make  him  follow  them. 
Tears  started  to  his  eyes  as  he  murmured  a  sad  farewell  to  the  mule. 

rf  What  are  we  to  do?"  said  Victor;  "how  can  we  pursue  our 
journey  to  those  unexplored  diggings  without  a  beast  of  burden  to 
carry  our  stock  of  provisions  for  a  whole  month?  Shall  we  ask  if 
we  may  buy  the  mule?" 

"Impossible;  it  would  cost  too  much,"  said  Pardoes. 

Just  then  a  man  clapped  him  on  the  shoulder,  and  said, — 

"Gentlemen,  my  wife  don't  want  that  mule  any  longer;  it  reminds 
her  too  much  of  poor  William,  who  was  so  miserably  murdered. 
Buy  it;  you  shall  have  it  for  thirty  dollars." 

"Done! "  said  the  Brusseller,  following  the  man  to  his  store  to  pay 
him. 

Before  the  money  was  paid  Donatus  hastened  up,  weeping  with 
joy,  with  his  friend  now  restored  to  him.  He  talked  to  it  and  caressed 
it  with  such  delight  that  the  storekeeper  could  not  contain  himself, 
and  burst  out  laughing. 

The  Flemings  purchased  a  week's  provisions  at  the  same  store, 
with  which  they  loaded  the  mule,  which  had  now  a  better  bridle. 
To  pay  for  all  this  Pardoes  was  obliged  to  open  his  leather  belt  and 
take  out  a  few  nuggets;  but  he  concealed  them  as  much  as  possible, 
for  he  heard  cries  of  astonishment  around  him,  and  he  saw  the  eyes 
of  four  or  five  men  glaring  enviously  at  his  hands. 

"  Comrades,"  he  said,  "  we  shall  do  well  to  return  to  the  tent  at 
once.  The  Red  Moustache  may  have  friends,  and  a  pistol-shot  is  soon 
fired;  moreover,  I  observe  many  faces  here  that  don't  please  me. 
Come,  let  us  be  off." 

His  advice  was  followed.  At  half  a  league  from  their  encamp- 
ment he  stopped,  and  said  in  a  low  tone  of  voice, — 


LYNCH    LAW.  147 

"  I  believe  those  three  men  walking  behind  us  yonder  are  follow- 
ing in  our  footsteps." 

"They  are  only  three,"  remarked  Creps;  "they  would  be  very 
foolhardy  if  they  dared  to  attack  us." 

w  If  they  are  really  following  us,"  said  Pardoes,  w  that  is  not  their 
intention.  I  think  I  recognize  one  of  them  as  a  fellow  who  was 
standing  beside  me  when  I  was  paying  at  the  store.  What  they  want 
is,  to  know  where  we  found  our  nuggets.  If  they  succeed  in  this  we 
shall  have  them  for  our  companions  to-morrow.  We  have  plenty  of 
time;  we  won't  make  for  our  tent  yet,  but  wander  here  and  there 
among  the  mountains,  and  thus  tire  out  our  spies.  Come  along;  this 
way!" 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE    GRIZZLY    BEAR. 

N"EXT  day,  while  the  Flemish  gold-seekers  were  digging  a  new 
pit,  they  suddenly  perceived   about   thirty  men,  with  sacks 
and   tools  on   their   backs,  tall    fellows,   advancing    towards 
them. 

"Didn't  I  tell  you  so?"  growled  Pardoes.  "Here  are  our  new 
companions;  those  spies  tracked  us  yesterday,  notwithstanding  our 
efforts  to  mislead  them.  Nothing  can  be  done;  they  are  in  the 
right.  We  can  only  demand  a  claim  thirty  feet  long." 

The  new  band  at  once  pitched  their  tents  at  the  foot  of  the  rocks. 
It  was  composed  of  five  or  six  companions,  each  of  which  chose  a 
claim  and  began  to  dig.  This  did  not  hinder  Pardoes  and  his  friends 
from  actively  continuing  their  work.  It  was  night  before  they  reached 
the  gold-earth,  but  next  day  they  obtained  pretty  fair  results.  This 
pit  was  richer  than  the  former  one,  and  they  got  more  gold  out  of  the 
sieve.  On  the  fourth  day  they  reached  the  rock,  where,  to  their 
great  delight,  they  found  a  great  many  little  nuggets,  which  altogether 
were  of  considerable  value. 

But  they  were  annoyed  by  the  constant  increase  of  new-comers  to 
their  diggings.  Nearly  every  hour  a  fresh  band  descended  the  rocks. 
Since  Monday  morning  this  valley  had  swarmed  with  gold-seekers, 
and  now  at  night,  revolver  in  hand,  they  were  obliged  to  make  the 
limits  of  their  claim  respected.  It  was  not  a  large  valley,  and  a  great 
portion  of  it  was  too  elevated  and  too  stony  for  any  possibility  of 
getting  gold  out  of  it.  The  crowd  of  diggers  was,  therefore,  con- 
148 


THE    GRIZZLY   BEAR.  149 

fined  to  a  comparatively  small  space.  Here  and  there  quarrels  arose, 
pistols  were  fired  and  knives  brandished,  for  some  of  the  new-comers 
tried  to  penetrate  to  claims  already  occupied,  and  they  were  naturally 
driven  back  by  the  owners.  The  Flemings  were  closely  surrounded, 
and  as  they  found  that  their  claim  was  only  productive  at  a  certain 
distance  from  the  river  they  felt  sure  it  would  soon  be  exhausted. 
They  only  hoped  that  they  would  be  fortunate  enough  to  collect 
sufficient  resources  to  undertake  their  journey  to  the  unexplored 
diggings. 

On  the  pretext  that  their  mule  did  not  find  sufficient  forage  in  the 
valley  they  pitched  their  tent  on  a  height,  and  out  of  sight  of  the 
other  gold-seekers.  They  began  to  purchase  their  provisions  secretly, 
one  of  them  going  alone  every  day  to  the  stores  by  circuitous  paths, 
bringing  a  load  of  corn,  salt  meat,  and  lard. 

These  precautions  were  needful  to  hide  their  intentions  from  the 
others,  for  had  these  suspected  that  they  were  preparing  for  a  long 
journey  into  the  interior  many  would  have  followed  them.  In  fact, 
as  they  knew  they  had  been  the  first  to  discover  the  present  spot,  they 
might  fancy  that  they  had  some  experience  in  such  matters  or 
possessed  peculiar  information  to  guide  them. 

The  last  provision  brought  to  their  tent  was  a  stock  of  salt,  and 
enough  gunpowder  to  fill  each  of  their  flasks. 

Next  morning,  an  hour  before  dawn,  the  mule  was  loaded  in  the 
wood,  the  tent  was  taken  down,  and  the  Flemings  began  their  journey 
quietly  and  without  noise.  No  one  had  any  suspicion  of  their 
departure. 

For  two  days  they  tried  to  ascend  the  course  of  the  Yuba,  then 
they  forded  it,  and  marched  northward  to  reach  the  Pen  river.  It 
was  very  difficult  to  keep  in  a  certain  direction,  for  their  route  was 
very  often  interrupted  by  mountains,  thousands  of  feet  in  height,  and 
:>y  torrents  of  great  depth  and  force.  Often  they  lost  hours  in  seeking 
or  a  way  through  these  mountain  chains;  sometimes  they  had  to 

; 


THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

unload  the  mule  to  allow  him  to  descend  a  dangerous  precipice  or 
scale  some  steep  rocks. 

They  made,  therefore,  but  slow  progress,  and  on  the  seventh  day 
were  convinced  that  they  had  not  advanced  more  than  forty  leagues 
from  the  Yuba  stores. 

The  Baron,  who  was  much  fatigued,  began  to  grumble,  and 
accused  Pardoes  of  rashness;  but  the  latter,  who  was  certain  that  he 
was  in  the  right,  laughed  at  his  remarks,  and  said  that  he  would  soon 
acknowledge  that  he  had  done  well  in  undertaking  the  voyage. 

Roozeman  and  Kwik  showed  more  confidence  and  courage.  They 
felt  that  the  spot  to  which  Pardoes  was  leading  them  might  enable 
them  to  realize  those  hopes  which  had  led  them  to  California, — 
hopes  of  making  happy  and  independent  those  who  were  clearest  to 
them  in  the  world;  this  gave  them  courage  to  contend  with  the  diffi- 
culties and  dangers  of  the  way.  They  were  glad,  too,  to  be  far  away 
from  the  crowd  of  wild  and  savage  men,  from  whose  lips  they  heard 
little  but  curses  and  blasphemies. 

For  five  days  they  had  seen  no  one;  they  were  certainly  in  a 
desert  which  had  not  been  explored  by  the  crowd  of  gold-seekers, 
for  they  had  seen  no  traces  but  of  wild  animals.  The  only  noise  they 
heard,  and  which  rather  frightened  Donatus  at  first,  was  the  howling 
of  coyotes,  a  sort  of  wild  dog,  which  at  night  made  the  valleys 
re-echo  with  their  dismal  yells.  But  Pardoes  had  explained  to  him 
that  these  cowardly  animals  never  attack  man,  and  still  less  approach 
a  fire.  Donatus,  too,  was  getting  more  inured  to  danger,  and  was  not 
now  so  easily  frightened. 

Exhausted,  weary,  footsore,  on  the  tenth  day  they  pitched  their 
tent  an  hour  before  nightfall  in  a  wide  valley,  upon  the  confines  of  a 
thick  forest,  so  that  the  mule  could  find  abundant  forage  during  the 
night. 

It  was  now  not  the  Baron  only  who  murmured  against  Pardoes. 
Creps  and  the  sailor  had  joined  with  him,  expressing  their  discontent 


THE    GRIZZLY    BEAR.  151 

in  bitter  words.  The  Brusseller  had  told  them  that  they  would  reach 
these  diggings  in  a  week,  and  they  had  now  marched  ten  days  with- 
out stopping,  yet  there  seemed  no  signs  of  reaching  their  journey's 
end;  perhaps,  indeed,  they  would  never  find  the  place  which  Pardoes 
had  been  told  about. 

Pardoes  defended  himself  by  saying  that  it  was  impossible  to  fix 
within  a  day  or  two  when  mountains  and  valleys  increased  the  length 
of  a  journey.  He  was  sure  they  must  be  in  the  right  direction, 
because  the  gigantic  chain  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  bounded  the  horizon 
to  trie  eastward.  They  must  not  be  discouraged,  but  await  for  three 
or  four  days  the  result  of  their  enterprise. 

They  had  nothing  to  fear  with  regard  to  the  exhaustion  of  their 
provisions,  for,  in  case  of  necessity,  they  could  in  a  country  which 
abounded  with  game  support  themselves  by  the  chase.  Up  to  this 
moment  he  had  forbidden  his  companions  to  fire,  so  as  not  to  betray 
their  presence. 

They  were  never  sure  whether  there  were  not  enemies  around 
them,  either  robbers  or  Californian  savages;  but  if  it  were  necessary 
they  would  shoot  birds,  hares,  or  deer,  and  thus  save  their  pro- 
visions. 

Whilst  they  were  discussing  their  position  they  suddenly  heard  in 
the  forest,  at  about  fifty  paces  off,  a  howl  so  formidable  that  the  whole 
valley  seemed  to  tremble.  It  was  a  hollow  growl,  dull  and  prolonged, 
like  the  distant  rumbling  of  thunder. 

All  turned  pale,  jumped  up,  and  stared  at  the  Brusseller,  as  if  to 
learn  from  his  mouth  what  new  and  terrible  danger  threatened  them. 

"They  are  lions!"  stammered  Donatus. 

"No,  it  is  a  grizzly  (the  gray  bear  of  California)  which  is 
attacking  our  mule,  and  which  has  perhaps  already  begun  to  de- 
vour it. 

"Come,  come!  "  said  Kwik;  "bear  or  no  bear,  I  will  not  leave  the 
poor  beast  to  be  murdered." 


THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

But  the  Brusseller  took  him  by  the  shoulder  and  held  him  back, 
growling  out,  — 

"Keep  still!  hold  your  tongue,  stupid!  " 

"That  is  all  very  fine,"  said  Victor;  "but  tell  us  at  least  what  we 
ought  to  do." 

R  What  we  ought  to  do?  I  confess  I  do  not  know  myself.  It  is  a 
dangerous  animal.  He  will  sometimes  remain  alive  and  in  full 
strength  with  ten  bullets  in  his  body.  Keep  as  quiet  as  possible,  my 
friends;  perhaps  the  monster  will  have  enough  in  the  mule  to  satisfy 
himself,  and  will  return  to  his  lair  after  having  dined." 

"But  which  of  us  can  sleep  with  such  a  terrible  neighbor?" 

A  new  and  more  terrible  howl  resounded  through  the  forest,  as 
if  the  bear  were  approaching  the  tent. 

"Wait,"  said  Pardoes,  "I  know  a  way!  I  will  walk  on  in  front, 
and  climb  up  a  tree,  from  whence  I  will  fire  at  the  bear;  he  will 
come  after  me  and  stand  upright  against  the  tree  to  seize  me.  At 
that  moment  you  must  fire  all  together,  aiming  at  his  head;  then  you 
must  all  rush  upon  him,  draw  your  knives  and  plunge  them  up  to  the 
hilt  in  the  breast  or  stomach  of  the  bear.  Follow  me  about  ten  paces 
off,  and  do  not  fire  too  quickly,  nor  retreat  a  foot's  breadth,  or  else 
there  will  be  two  or  three  deaths  among  you." 

He  slipped  off  into  the  wood,  trying  to  judge  of  the  distance  by 
the  growls,  and  climbed  up  a  certain  height  on  a  pine-tree.  His 
comrades  were  hidden  about  six  yards  distant  in  the  bushes,  holding 
their  fingers  on  the  triggers  of  their  guns. 

Soon  the  report  of  a  gun  was  heard;  the  ball  had  evidently  done 
its  work,  for  a  howl  of  pain  and  rage  resounded  in  the  forest,  and 
immediately  afterwards  the  shrubs  were  pushed  aside,  as  if  broken  by 
a  furious  and  gigantic  animal. 

In  fact  the  grizzly  bear  had  discovered  its  enemy,  who,  to  awake 
its  attention,  was  waving  his  hat  in  the  air. 

With  one  bound  the  bear  reached  the  tree,  stood  up  against  it. 


THE   GRIZZLY    BEAK   CLIMBING   THE   TREE. 


THE    GRIZZLY    BEAR. 

putting  out  his  claws,  raising  a  horrible  growl,  and  licking  the  bark 
of  the  tree  with  his  terrible  red  tongue,  as  if  he  already  scented 
another  victim. 

Now  a  loud  report  was  heard,  and  five  bullets  struck  the  monster, 
who  fell  back  with  pain  and  surprise;  but  he  recovered  himself 
quickly,  cast  a  look  of  fury  at  his  new  foes,  and  rushed  howling  upon 
them.  The  sailor,  for  whom  the  bear  was  making,  was  seized  with 
fright,  and  fled  to  take  refuge  in  a  tree.  The  furious  animal,  covered 
with  blood,  seemed  as  if  he  feared  not  the  glittering  knives,  and  ran 
after  the  sailor. 

He  came  up  to  him  just  at  the  foot  of  the  tree,  and  seized  him 
between  his  large  forepaws  to  strangle  him,  with  a  horrible  roar, 
when  happily,  at  the  same  instant,  five  knives  were  plunged  into  his 
sides  at  the  same  moment,  and  doubtless  Donatus,  with  his  long 
Catalonian  knife,  had  reached  his  heart,  for  the  grizzly  bear  turned 
round  again  as  if  about  to  seiz^e  him,  but  fell  on  the  ground,  where  he 
remained  stretched  in  death. 

Donatus  ran  to  the  spot  where  they  had  first  heard  the  growl  ings, 
and  found  the  half-devoured  remains  of  the  poor  mule  in  a  large  pool 
of  blood.  He  shed  many  tears  over  the  unhappy  animal's  body,  and 
then  returning  to  his  companions  told  them  with  bitter  lamentations 
of  the  sad  end  of  his  faithful  companion. 

All  were  much  affected;  they  felt  what  a. narrow  escape  they  had 
had,  and  the  loss  of  the  mule  deeply  troubled  them.  In  the  midst  of 
a  desert,  perhaps  a  hundred  miles  from  any  inhabited  spot,  with  their 
strength  exhausted,  they  would  now  have  to  carry  their  tools  and 
provisions  on  their  backs.  Sad  and  difficult  as  their  journey  had 
hitherto  been,  how  much  more  painful  and  discouraging  was  the 
prospect  before  them  now! 

An  hour  after  all  were  rolled  up  in  their  blankets  under  their  tent. 
The  Brusseller  acted  as  sentinel,  and  carefully  kept  up  the  fire  to 
frighten  away  the  savage  beasts,  if  there  were  any  still  in  the 


156  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

neighborhood.     He  glanced  into  the  tent  to  be  sure  that  his  com- 
panions  were    still    asleep.     By  the    light    of  the    fire    he    saw  that 


Donatus'  cheeks  were  wet  and  shining. 


"Simple  fellow!"  he  muttered,  "crying  in  his  sleep  at  the  death 
of  an  animal!  It  mighi:  be  at  the  prospect  of  having  to  carry  the 
trough  on  his  back;  but  no,  it  is  out  of  pure  affection." 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

THE    WILDERNESS. 

A  CORDING  to  their  custom,  he  whose  turn  it  was  to  cook  got 
up  an  hour  earlier  than  the  rest  to  prepare  the  breakfast,  and 
did  not  wake  his  companions  till  that  meal  was  ready. 

It  happened  that  it  was  Pardoes'  turn  that  morning.  He  was 
specially  careful  to  make  no  noise,  lighted  a  large  fire,  and  hung  the 
saucepan  over  it.  He  smiled  and  chuckled  to  himself  as  if  he  had 
some  secret.  When  he  saw  that  the  fire  was  burning  well,  he  drew 
his  knife  from  his  belt  and  went  towards  the  wood. 

When  he  reached  the  bear's  carcass  he  cut  off  its  four  paws, 
hastily  skinned  them,  and  then  hung  them  over  the  flames,  suspended 
to  the  branch  of  a  tree,  to  grill  them,  powdering  them  well  with  salt 
and  pepper.  He  was  very  merry,  rubbed  his  hands,  and  licked  his 
lips,  murmuring, — 

"How  surprised  they'll  be  when  they  wake  up!  Bear's  paws  for 
breakfast!  It  is  a  royal  dainty.  In  the  desert  they  will  eat  it  with 
better  appetite  than  at  the  best  hotel  in  Brussels." 

When  the 'bear's  paws  were  properly  cooked  he  cried  at  the 
opening  of  the  tent,  w  Get  up!  get  up,  friends!  the  table  is  laid.  I 
have  got  a  piece  of  game  for  you,  which  will  make  you  lick  your 
fingers  afterwards,  I'm  certain." 

They  all  got  up. 

"What  is  it  that  smells  so  good?"  muttered  Kwik,  as  he  rubbed 
his  eyes.  "  Have  you  caught  a  hare,  Pardoes?" 

*  Yes;  such  a  big  hare  that  his  paws  are  enough  to  give  you  an 
indigestion." 


158  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

But  when  Donatus  glanced  at  the  tin  plate  he  recoiled  with  dis- 
gust, exclaiming, — 

"Why,  those  are  bear's  paws!  the  horrible  animal  who  was  about 
to  devour  us  yesterday!  How  cruel  of  you,  Pardoes,  thus  to  mock 
our  poor  stomachs !  I  feel  ill  at  the  sight  of  it." 

The  Brusseller  tried  to  convince  his  friends  that  nothing  could  be 
more  delicious  than  the  dish  he  had  prepared  for  them.  The  Baron, 
the  sailor,  and  Creps  were  persuaded  to  partake  of  it,  and  asserted 
that  it  was  excellent  bear's  flesh.  Victor  at  last  was  also  overcome, 
and  accepted  half  a  paw,  which  Creps  pressed  upon  him;  but  Donatus, 
seizing  him  by  the  arm,  said  imploringly,  — 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Roozeman,  I  beg  you  don't  eat  any  of  that  horrible  animal! 
he  wished  to  devour  us;  he  has  probably  already  eaten  other  men." 

''You  are  really  very  silly,  Kwik,"  said  Victor,  smiling.  "Meat 
is  meat,  and  this  is  very  good  and  not  unwholesome." 

"Not  unwholesome!"  exclaimed  Donatus.  "Eat  it,  you  will 
see.  Without  knowing  it  you  will  become  malicious,  ill-tempered, 
cruel" 

All  burst  out  laughing. 

rf  What  absurd  ideas  come  into  your  brain !  "  said  Pardoes.  "  Men's 
characters  changing  according  to  the  food  they  take!  We  haven't 
eaten  anything  but  bacon  lately,  so  we  ought  to  become  as  dirty  and 
unclean  as  pigs." 

Kwik  examined  his  companions  and  then  himself  from  head  to 
foot,  and  then  replied,  grumbling, — 

"  I  do  not  know  whether  the  bacon  is  the  cause  of  it,  but  it's 
certain  that  in  Belgium  they  wouldn't  touch  us  with  a  pair  of  tongs. 
I  looked  at  myself  yesterday  in  the  Baron's  pocket-mirror;  the  savage 
I  saw  then  had  an  ugly,  stubbly  beard,  and  dust  and  grease  were  so 
mixed  together  on  his  face  that  I  nearly  let  the  little  glass  drop  with 
disgust.  If  Anneken,  of  Natten-Haesdonck,  met  such  a  terrible 
fellow,  she  would  run  away  crying  out  for  help! " 


THE    WILDERNESS. 

"Gome!  come!  eat  a  bear's  paw,"  said  Creps;  "it's  really  very 
good." 

"  I  eat  of  a  monster  that  devoured  my  poor  mule  ?  I  would  rather 
starve,"  cried  Kwik.  He  hastily  fried  himself  a  piece  of  bacon,  while 
his  companions  devoured  the  bear's  paws  to  the  very  bone. 

"You  may  laugh,  gentlemen,"  said  Donatus,  "but  you  will  see  I 
shan't  be  surprised  to  see  you  tearing  out  each  other's  eyes  even  to- 
day. I  warn  you,  that  you  may  fight;  I  shall  not  mix  up  in  your  dis- 
putes. The  Ostender  has  no  need  to  eat  of  that  monster  to" 

"Rascal!  how  dare  you  say  that?"  roared  the  sailor,  darting  up, 
his  knife  in  his  hand. 

>f There,  gentlemen,  is  an  example  of  it  already!"  groaned  Kwik. 
"  He  does  not  know  what  I  was  going  to  say,  and  yet  he  wants  to 
murder  me !  " 

All  burst  out  laughing;  but  Pardoes  now  put  an  end  to  this  joking 
by  reminding  his  companions  that  they  must  resume  their  journey. 
The  sun  was  already  shining  in  a  cloudless  sky,  it  would  probably  be 
very  hot  towards  noon. 

Each  took  a  portion  of  the  tools  on  his  back.  It  was  Roozeman's 
lot  to  carry  the  sieve,  but  Donatus,  notwithstanding  Victor's  protesta- 
tions, insisted  on  carrying  it. 

They  were  tolerably  cheerful  for  a  couple  of  hours.  The  Baron 
alone  was  silent,  and  seemed  full  of  sad  and  gloomy  thoughts.  About 
noon  they  were  all  very  much  fatigued;  they  had  arrived  at  the  foot 
of  a  chain  of  steep  mountains,  which  barred  their  route  as  far  as  they 
could  see.  There  was  nothing  else  to  be  done,  these  heights  must  be 
crossed.  After  resting  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they  looked  for  the 
easiest  spot,  and  then  scrambled  over  enormous  rocks  to  the  summit 
of  the  mountain,  where  they  sank  down  breathless  with  exhaustion. 
When  they  arose  to  continue  their  journey,  a  secret  horror  seized 
them.  They  saw  before  them  a  range  of  mountains,  several  leagues 
in  breadth,  whose  rocky  soil  seemed  burned  by  subterranean  fires,  or 


l6o  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

by  the  rays  of  the  sun,  for,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  not  a  flower 
or  a  tree  was  to  be  seen  in  this  vast  desert. 

"What  is  this?"  sighed  Donatus.  "lam  frightened!  Have  we 
arrived  at  the  end  of  the  world  ?  " 

"  Pardoes,  did  the  Swiss  gold-seeker  tell  you  about  this  desert?" 
asked  Creps. 

"No." 

"Then  we  have  lost  our  way!     Pleasant  news!  " 

"We  can't  lose  our  way  here,"  replied  Pardoes;  "as  long  as  we 
have  the  gigantic  chain  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  to  our  right  we  must  be 
on  the  right  road.  By  constantly  advancing  we  cannot  fail  to  reach 
the  diggings.  It  is  situated  on  a  large  river,  which  descends  from  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  and  so  it  must  be  on  our  way;  we  could  not  avoid  it 
if  we  tried.  There  is  certainly  something  in  this  desert  to  inspire 
fear,  and  under  this  burning  sun  we  shall  probably  suffer  from  the 
heat;  but  as  we  have  come  so  far,  we  must  keep  on  our  way  steadily. 
Perhaps  we  shall  find  some  ravines,  which  we  can't  see  from  here. 
Come  friends,  don't  lose  courage;  to-morrow  we  shall  perhaps  reach 
the  gold-field,  and  then  be  amply  repaid  for  all  our  sufferings." 

Again  they  set  forth  through  the  bare  and  solitary  wilderness. 
The  sun  dashed  his  fiery  rays  down  upon  their  heads,  which,  radiating 
from  the  bare  rock,  redoubled  the  heat,  and  made  the  air  feel  like  a 
furnace. 

After  two  hours'  weary  march  the  travellers  were  well-nigh  ex- 
hausted; silent,  gloomy,  and  discouraged,  they  slowly  advanced  over 
the  plain.  The  Baron  appeared  ready  to  sink  beneath  his  burden;  and 
absorbed  in  his  sad  thoughts  he  often  forgot  himself,  and  remained 
behind.  The  sailor  took  a  cruel  pleasure  in  mocking  at  and  annoying 
him.  He  had  only  replied  to  these  insults  by  a  smile  of  contempt, 
but  when  he  reproached  him  with  his  high  birth  and  his  bodily  weak- 
ness the  gentleman  could  stand  it  no  longer. 

He  turned  pale,  threw  down  his  knapsack,  seized  his  revolver,  and 
cried  in  fury, — 


THE    WILDERNESS.  l6l 

"  Stop,  gentlemen,  I  command  you!  " 

"Well!  well!  what  is  the  matter?  what  do  you  want?"  stam- 
mered the  others  with  amazement.  ''What  are  you  about  to 
do?" 

"This  coarse  fellow  is  making  fun  of  my  sufferings;  he  thinks  that 
a  gentleman  in  the  position  in  which  I  unfortunately  find  myself  can 
be  insulted  with  impunity.  This  is  not  the  case.  I  might  kill  him 
with  a  bullet,  I  should  only  have  to  make  a  slight  movement  of  my 
ringer  to  do  it,  but  I  recoil  from  committing  a  murder.  I  defy  him. 
He  shall  fight  a  duel  with  me,  however.  One  of  us  two  shall  leave 
his  bones  in  the  desert." 

The  others  ran  in  between  them  to  prevent  the  fight,  but  the 
Baron  several  times  repeated  the  word  "  coward,"  and  the  sailor, 
held  back  by  Pardoes,  declared  that  he  would  tear  the  gentleman 
in  pieces. 

"No  pistols!"  roared  theOstender;  "a  conflict  to  the  death  with 
knives  is  best.  It  will  last  longer,  and  more  blood  will  flow." 

"Very,  well,  knives  then!"  replied  the  Baron,  whose  cheeks  were 
deadly  pale,  and  whose  fiery  eyes  seemed  as  if  they  would  start  out 
of  their  sockets. 

"Alas!  alas!"  cried  Donatus;  "they  are  about  to  murder  each 
other  in  this  terrible  wilderness!  The  Baron,  who  was  patience  itself, 
has  lost  his  senses,  and  become  mad.  This  dreadful  affair  all  comes 
of  eating  bear's  flesh." 

"To  arms!  to  arms!"  cried  Pardoes;  "here  are  Californian 
savages ! " 

This  terrible  exclamation  made  them  forget  their  quarrel;  each 
one  hurriedly  seized  his  gun  and  looked  with  surprise,  mingled  with 
uneasiness,  in  the  direction  where  the  Brusseller  pointed. 

"Savages!"  cried  Kwik,  trembling  like  a  reed.  "Savages!  ah, 
where  can  we  hide  ourselves?  None  can  help  us  but  the  good 
God." 


1 62  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

In  fact,  they  perceived,  several  miles  off,  on  their  right,  about  ten 
men  walking  among  the  crags  of  the  mountains,  and  Pardoes  knew 
them  to  be  savages  by  their  long,  floating  hair,  and  almost  naked 
bodies.  He  gave  his  friends  long  explanations,  and  tried  to  persuade 
them  that  these  men  were  a  threatening  danger  to  them.  His  wish 
was  to  turn  the  thoughts  of  his  companions  from  their  quarrel;  but 
the  Baron  perceived  this,  and  said,  - 

*  These  savages  are  more  than  two  leagues'  march  from  us;  they 
have  not  seen  us,  and  they  will  disappear  behind  the  mountains. 
Take  your  knife  in  your  hand,  Ostender!  " 

"Ah,  you  will  massacre  each  other,  even  at  this  moment,  when  we 
are  threatened  by  an  attack  from  Californian  savages!  Very  well,  we 
shall  see,"  said  the  Brusseller,  in  great  rage.  "  Roozeman,  Creps, 
Donatus,  are  you  going  to  obey  me  to  save  our  lives?"  rfYes." 
"Point  your  guns  at  the  sailor;  I  will  guard  the  Baron." 

Saying  this,  he  advanced  some  paces,  and  said  with  an  air  of 
authority,  — 

"Baron,  you   made  an  agreement  with  us;  you  are  not  master  of 
yourself;  I  declare  to  you  that  this  duel  is  a   breach  of  our  contract, 
because   it   must   deprive    us   of  one  of  our   comrades  at   a   moment ! 
when    the    lives    of  all    may    depend    upon    the    help    of  one.     The 
first  of  you  who   again   defies   the    other   I  will  kill  without  mercy, 
This,  at  least,  will  be  a  means  of  not  losing  any  more  precious  tim< 
here." 

Pardoes  exchanged  a  few  angry  words  with  the  sailor  in  a  low 
voice.  This  seemed  to  quiet  him;  he  walked  towards  the  gentleman, 
and  said, — 

"  Listen,  Baron,  I  do  not  wish  to  put  my  friends  in  danger  of  death* 
To  satisfy  you,  I  admit  that  I  was  wrong,  and  I  ask  pardon  for  my 
hasty  words." 

Victor  took  the  Baron  by  the  hand,  and  tried  to  calm  him  by 
proofs  of  his  esteem  and  friendship;  Donatus  joined  him,  and  they 


THE    WILDERNESS. 


i63 


both  besought  him  so  earnestly  that  he  was  overcome  at  last  and 
said,  — 

"Be  it  so!  let  us  speak  no  more  of  it.  This  rude  man  will  not 
insult  me  any  more." 

"  Come  on  then,  my  friends,"  said  the  Brusseller. 

"  I  remain  here,"  said  the  Baron,  sitting  down  on  the  ground. 

"Have  you  gone  mad?"  grumbled  Pardoes. 

"No,"  replied  he,  "I  am  at  the  end  of  my  strength,  my  feet  are 
one  large  sore;  I  must  rest.  You  can  continue  your  road,  gentlemen; 
it  is  the  same  to  me  whether  I  am  killed  by  the  Californian  savages 
or  perish  like  a  beast  under  a  burden  which  I  cannot  carry  any 
longer." 

He  took  ofF  one  of  his  shoes,  the  blood  was  really  flowing  from 
his  foot. 

"  Well,  remain  there!  "  said  Pardoes,  angrily. 

"  I  shall  not  move  from  here  without  our  companion,"  said  Victor, 
who  had  pity  on  the  gentleman's  condition.  "  If  you  or  I,  or  another 
of  us  fell  ill,  or  could  not  walk,  we  should  not  abandon  him,  or  leave 
him  to  certain  death  like  men  without  any  feeling." 

"  I  shan't  move  either,"  said  Donatus. 

"We  will  all  stay  here  then,"  said  Creps  in  his  turn. 

"Well,  let  us  rest  a  little,  then,"  said  the  Brusseller.  "Before 
coming  to  California  folk  ought  to  know  whether  they  have  legs 
strong  enough  to  take  a  journey." 

Victor  began  to  wash  the  Baron's  foot  and  to  wrap  it  up  in  a  piece 
of  rag. 

The  Baron,  after  a  short  interval  of  rest,  declared  that  now,  thanks 
to  his  kind  friends,  he  thought  he  could  continue  his  journey;  so  they 
all  shouldered  their  knapsacks  again  and  advanced  into  the  desert. 

The  gold-seekers  now  were  all  weary  and  silent;  they  only  spoke 
to  lament  the  lack  of  water,  for  they  had  nearly  emptied  their  leather 
gourds,  and  there  was  scarcely  half  a  pint  left  among  them.  In  the 


164  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

afternoon  even  this  was  exhausted,  while  the  sun  continued  as 
scorching  as  ever,  and  the  atmosphere  so  suffocating  that  they  could 
scarcely  breathe.  The  boundless  desert  still  stretched  before  the 
travellers,  not  a  tree  was  to  be  seen,  and  not  a  trace  of  water  on  the 
parched  and  barren  ground. 

Every  now  and  then  they  had  to  stop  to  rest.  Then  they  would 
murmur  loudly  against  Pardoes. 

Towards  evening,  though  it  was  not  so  hot,  their  fatigue  had 
increased,  and  all  were  suffering  terribly  from  thirst:  perceiving  no 
limits  to  the  wilderness,  they  feared  they  must  pass  the  night  upon 
this  plain  without  any  hope  of  quenching  their  thirst,  and  then  have  to 
begin  their  journey  next  day  under  a  torrid  heat,  and  without  a  drop 
of  water. 

In  fact  the  sailor,  the  Baron,  and  Creps,  refused  to  go  any  further. 
Pardoes  asserted  that  they  could  not  be  far  from  a  river;  there  was  a 
visible  downward  slope  in  the  soil  now,  and  calculating  from  the 
direction  of  the  mountains,  which  on  all  sides  bounded  the  horizon, 
he  predicted  that  in  a  couple  of  hours  they  would  doubtless  find 
water. 

Holding  out  this  hope  to  his  companions,  he  succeeded  after  a 
long  rest  in  persuading  them  to  go  on. 

After  another  half-hour's  painful  march  Pardoes,  raising  a  cry, 
suddenly  threw  himself  on  the  ground.  The  others  rushed  towards 
him,  thinking  that  he  had  a  fit,  but  he  said  in  a  trembling  voice, — 

"Silence!  silence,  friends!  let  me  listen!" 

After  having  applied  his  ear  to  the  ground  for  several  minutes,  he 
sprang  up  and  exclaimed,  — 

"Hurrah!  hurrah!  water!  water!" 

"Where?  where?"  stammered  the  others,  not  understanding  what 
Pardoes  meant. 

•? Yonder,  before  us  —  a  cascade;  I  hear  it  falling  from  the 
mountains." 


THE    WILDERNESS.  165 

Donatus  now  put  his  head  to  the  ground.  "  It's  true !  it's  true ! 
The  good  God  be  praised! " 

The  gold-seekers  now  hurried  on  in  the  direction  where  they 
hoped  to  find  water. 

Kwik,  who  was  in  front,  suddenly  started  back  with  a  cry  of 
horror,  falling  heavily  on  his  back. 

"What  is  it?  what  have  you  seen?"  asked  the  others,  terrified. 

"Oh,  friends,"  stammered  he,  "a  precipice!  If  my  guardian  angel 
had  not  held  me  back  I  should  now  have  been  lying  some  six  hundred 
feet  below." 

They  had  come  to  a  fearful  precipice,  out  of  which,  about  fifty 
yards  from  them,  the  cascade  rushed  from  a  crevice  in  the  rock,  and 
fell  into  the  narrow  valley  below. 

But  the  travellers  regarded  this  with  transports  of  joy,  for,  not- 
withstanding the  darkness,  they  saw  a  large  stream  which  came  from 
the  waterfall  shining  along  the  valley  like  a  silver  streak. 

"  Might  not  this  be  the  Swiss  gold-seeker's  diggings  ?  "  asked  the 
sailor. 

"No,"  replied  Pardoes;  "it  is  situated  in  a  broad  valley,  and  there 
is  no  cascade  near  it;  but  this  stream  is  a  sign  that  we  are  approach- 
ing it,  for  it  probably  flows  into  the  river  on  the  banks  of  which  the 
diggings  are.  In  any  case  there  is  water  down  yonder,  which  is 
more  valuable  to  us  than  gold.  The  most  difficult  thing  is  to  find  a 
way  by  which  to  get  down  this  huge  precipice.  Come,  I  think  I 
have  found  it.  There,  near  the  trees,  we  shall  probably  find  a 
passage." 

Pardoes  was  right.  At  the  spot  to  which  he  pointed  a  great  por- 
tion of  the  mountain  had  crumbled  down  into  the  valley,  and  had 
formed  a  slope  by  which  they  might  attempt  a  descent. 

The  darkness  made  this  very  dangerous;  they  had  scarcely  gone  a 
few  steps  when  the  sailor  slipped  on  the  rock,  and  he  would  have 
fallen  over  the  edge  had  not  Creps  seized  him  by  his  clothes.  The 


1 66  THE    BOYS    OF   THE    SIERRAS. 

same  accident  happened  to  the  Baron,  and  he  was  saved  by  Donatus. 
After  great  difficulties  they  at  last  succeeded  in  reaching  the  bottom 
of  the  ravine,  and  all  rushed  to  the  stream. 

When  they  had  quenched  their  thirst  they  pitched  their  tent  at  the 
foot  of  a  lofty  rock,  and  enjoyed  their  usual  supper. 

Victor  was  the  first  to  mount  guard;  the  others,  lulled  by  the 
sound  of  the  falling  water,  soon  forgot  their  sufferings  in  sleep. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

EL    DORADO. 

WHEN  the  sailor  returned  to  the  tent  after  being  the  last  to 
mount  guard  he  pulled  Kwik  by  the  leg  and  woke  him 
up,  reminding  him  that  it  was  his  turn    to  get  breakfast 
ready,  and  that  it  had  been  daylight  for  the  last  hour. 

Though  the  twilight  round  the  tent  made  Donatus  think  that  the 
sailor  was  wrong,  he,  nevertheless,  went  out  and  seized  an  axe  to  cut 
down  the  wood  which  was  necessary  for  the  fire.  He  was  filled  with 
wonder  at  the  grand  spectacle  around  him. 

The  place  where  he  stood  was  a  narrow  valley,  surrounded  on  all 
sides  by  walls  of  rock  thousands  of  feet  in  height,  some  scarred  and 
riven,  others  crumbling  down  towards  the  valley  as  at  the  spot  where 
they  had  descended  the  previous  evening.  In  the  hollows  of  these 
rocks,  pines,  cedars,  and  cypresses  were  growing.  Through  the 
vine,  over  a  rocky  bed,  flowed  the  small,  clear  river. 

But  that  which  struck  Donatus  with  most  amazement  was  the 
magnificent  cascade,  which  fell  with  one  bound  from  a  height  above, 
more  than  four  hundred  feet,  forming  a  cataract  as  large  as  a  river, 
and  which  roared  like  distant  thunder.  For  some  time  he  stood 
watching  it,  trembling  and  motionless. 

1?  What  a  height  it  is!"  murmured  he.  w  If  a  man  fell  down  from 
up  there,  there  wouldn't  be  much  left  of  him  when  he  got  to  the 
bottom.  .  .  .  Am  I  dreaming,  or  am  I  awake?  I'm  sure  I  don't 
know;  I  don't  seem  bigger  than  an  ant!  O  my  good  God!  if  it  is 
Thy  work  I  see  here,  what  are  all  the  men  of  this  world  in  comparison 
with  Thee  ?  " 

167 


" 


1 68  THE    BOYS    OF   THE    SIERRAS. 

Then  he  went  up  to  the  foot  of  the  rocks  and  cut  down  some  large 
pieces  of  wood.  With  as  little  noise  as  possible,  so  as  not  to  awake 
his  companions,  he  lighted  a  fire,  stopping  every  now  and  then  in  his 
work  to  gaze  at  the  roaring  cataract,  or  at  the  gigantic  wall  of  rock, 
clasping  his  hands  in  wonder  and  admiration. 

Then  taking  up  the  saucepan,  he  was  about  to  go  direct  to  the 
stream,  but  he  strolled  in  a  dreamy  way  by  the  side  of  the  cascadr, 
whose  noise  seemed  to  attract  him.  He  came  to  a  spot  where  the 
rock  jutted  out  into  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  forced  it  to  take  a  sharp 
curve;  at  the  end  of  this  projecting  rock  the  torrent  had  hollowed  out 
a  pool. 

It  was  into  this  pool  that  Donatus  was  about  to  plunge  his  sauce- 
pan, but  suddenly  a  shrill  cry  escaped  him  and  he  bent  over  the  water 
motionless,  with  the  saucepan  in  his  hand.  Then  he  sprang  up,  raised 
his  arms  above  his  head,  began  to  jump  and  caper,  rolling  himself  on 
the  ground,  dancing,  laughing,  talking  of  Anneken,  and  acting  like  one 
who  had  suddenly  gone  mad.  He  then  ran  to  the  tent. 

Before  he  reached  it  his  friends,  alarmed  by  his  shouts,  got  up  and 
placed  themselves  on  the  defensive,  their  guns  in  their  hands,  ready  to 
repulse  the  attack  they  expected. 

f<  What  is  it?     What  do  you  see?     Where?"  they  all  cried. 

But  Donatus,  without  replying,  flung  himself  on  his  friend  Ro< 
man's  neck,  stuttering  forth  confused  words,  while  tears  fell  from  his 
eyes;  then  he  ran  to  Creps,  Pardoes,  and  the  Baron,  and  was  about  to 
throw  his  arms  round  the  sailor's  shoulders;  but  he,  thinking  that  he 
was  mad,  shook  him  off,  giving  him  to  understand  that  he  would  not 
stand  such  pranks. 

"Come!  come!"  stuttered  Donatus,  in  a  voice  half  choked  by  r\- 
citement.  "Come!  Castles!  treasures!  Anneken  —  Lucia  —  happi- 
ness—  victory!  My  head  is  turned!  I  have  lost  my  senses!  .  .  . 
Come!  come!  " 

Thus  saying  he  seized  Victor's  hand,  and  dragged  him  to  the  spot 
where  he  had  left  his  kettle.  The  others  followed. 


DONATUS'   JOY  AFTER    DISCOVERING   GOLD. 


EL    DORADO. 


171 


w  Look!  look!  "  cried  Kwik,  pointing  with  his  finger  into  the  well 
which  had  been  hollowed  out  by  the  water. 

"Oh!  gold!  much  gold!"  they  all  cried. 

They  threw  themselves  on  the  ground  before  the  pool,  plunged 
their  arms  into  the  water,  and  began  to  scratch  under  the  water  as 
eagerly  as  famishing  tigers,  who  at  last  grasp  in  their  claws  a  long- 
awaited  prey. 

Then,  drawing  their  hands  full  of  gold  out  of  the  water,  they  all 
began  to  jump,  dance,  and  sing.  Their  eyes  sparkled,  their  hands 
trembled,  their  voices  were  hoarse;  they  all  talked  at  once  like  mad 
folk.  Again  and  again  they  plunged  their  arms  into  the  water,  and  it 
was  not  until  they  were  exhausted  by  fatigue,  and  their  hands  and 
pockets  were  full  of  gold,  that  they  sat  down  on  the  ground  to  rest. 

In  the  Baron  an  extrordinary  change  had  taken  place;  he  appeared 
even  more  mad  than  the  rest,  but  they  were  too  eager  in  their  search 
for  gold  to  take  any  notice  of  him. 

Creps,  who  was  not  so  thoroughly  bewildered  by  this  wonderful 
discovery,  began  to  fear  that  a  new  calamity  had  fallen  on  his  com- 
panions just  at  the  moment  when  they  had  reached  the  end  of  all  their 
sufferings  and  miseries.  He  remembered  hearing  Pardoes  say  that  it 
sometimes  happened  that  gold-seekers  were  seized  at  a  moment  of 
unexpected  good  fortune  with  incurable  madness.  What  he  saw  now 
was  indeed  enough  to  alarm  him.  He  had  never  witnessed  anything 
similar  to  the  extravagant  wildness  of  his  friends. 

*  We  have  found  a  real  treasure  indeed,  friends,"  he  said;  "a  most 
fortunate  matter,  for  which  we  have  good  cause  to  rejoice;  but  if  you 
don't  try  to  master  your  excitement  you  will  lose  your  reason,  and 
what  would  be  the  use  of  gold  to  a  madman?  " 

w  Let  us  see!  let  us  see!  Give  me  the  gold!  "  cried  Pardoes.  "I 
will  weigh  it  to  see  how  much  we  possess  already." 

They  threw  all  their  gold  lumps  into  the  tin  saucepan;  the  Brus- 
seller  weighed  it,  and  then  exclaimed,  — 


172  THE    BOYS    OF   THE    SIERRAS. 

"Nine  pounds!  nine  pounds  of  gold!  More  than  fourteen  thou- 
sand francs  in  ten  minutes!  Ah,  the  world  is  ours!  We  shall  be 
millionaires!  millionaires!" 

Roozeman,  seizing  Donatus  by  the  hand,  exclaimed, — 

"Ah,  my  friend!  how  good  God  is  to  us!  The  happiness  of  my 
mother,  the  joy  of  my  life !  Lucia!  Anneken!  Providence  bestows 
everything  upon  us  in  a  moment!  Thanks  be  to  Thee,  O  Supreme 
Disposer!  We  thank  Thee  for  our  sufferings;  we  thank  Thee  for 
Thy  favors!"  With  upraised  and  trembling  hands  he  offered  to 
Heaven  his  fervent  thanksgivings. 

"  Up,  comrades !  let  us  set  to  work !  Perhaps  before  evening  we 
shall  be  rich  with  treasures!  "exclaimed  the  sailor. 

*Yes,  to  work!     Gold!  gold!"  cried  the  others. 

They  would  not  listen  to  Creps'  advice.  Discontented  and  mur- 
muring, he  had  crossed  his  arms  on  his  breast,  whilst  his  companions, 
leaning  over  the  pool,  continued  to  gather  up  the  gold,  notwithstanding 
the  icy  cold  of  the  water,  which  stiffened  their  arms  and  benumbed 
their  muscles.  But  he,  too,  was  obliged  to  dig  writh  his  hands  in  the 
well,  for  Pardoes  and  the  sailor  said  that  any  who  refused  to  work 
should  forfeit  his  share  of  the  gold,  and  be  excluded  from  their 
company. 

At  length,  by  Creps'  advice,  they  agreed  to  stop  work  for  an  hour 
and  breakfast,  to  restore  a  little  heat  and  strength  to  their  stiffened 
arms. 

They  returned  to  the  tent,  walking  along  the  river's  bank,  their 
eyes  fixed  on  the  water,  hoping  to  see  gold  perhaps  glisten  among 
its  stones.  Pardoes  suddenly  clapped  his  hands  together  and  ex- 
claimed, — 

"Look,  friends!  yonder  in  the  crevices,  sparkling,  —  that  is  gold! 
Fortune  has  not  deceived  us:  by  crossing  the  water  we  can  reach 
those  crevices.  There  is  gold  in  the  whole  bed  of  the  river.  A  field 
perhaps  large  enough  to  enrich  a  thousand  men.  Let  us  breakfast 


EL    DORADO.  173 

hastily.  We  probably  don't  know  yet  the  extent  of  our  good 
luck!" 

The  Baron  appeared  more  and  more  excited;  hitherto  he  had 
only  spoken  to  himself;  now  he  seized  Pardoes  by  the  hand,  and 
began  a  long  harangue,  in  which  he  related  his  past  history;  how 
he  was  the  heir  of  the  illustrious  house  of  Alteroche,  how  he  had 
squandered  the  inheritance  of  his  ancestors  and  dishonored  his  name. 
But  now  he  could  hope  once  more,  new  blood  was  flowing  into  his 
veins;  he  told  them  of  the  brilliant  figure  he  would  again  make  in 
Paris,  in  his  splendid  carriage,  with  his  servants  in  green  and  gold 
livery  —  the  envy  and  admiration  of  all,  who  would  shout,  "  Stand 
back!  room  for  the  Baron  of  Alteroche!  " 

At  these  words  the  sailor  burst  into  a  loud  laugh,  while  the  others 
stared  at  the  Baron  with  amazement.  Their  looks  recalled  him  to 
his  senses,  and  casting  a  glance  of  contempt  on  the  Ostender,  he  said, 
calmly,  — 

"Pardon  me,  gentlemen;  I  saw  the  future  before  my  eyes.  It  is 
an  illusion  indeed,  but  it  will  become  a  reality." 

"  Come !  come !  "  cried  Pardoes,  w  every  hour  is  perhaps  worth 
thirty  thousand  francs  to  us.  Let  us  to  work!  " 

They  followed  him  to  the  river;  they  tucked  their  trousers  up  to 
their  knees  and  entered  the  stream;  they  shivered  from  the  icy  cold 
of  the  torrent;  but  so  strong  was  their  thirst  for  gold  that  they  braved 
this  painful  sensation,  and  walked  on  through  the  water,  here  and 
there  picking  up  nuggets  among  the  stones.  This  did  not  last  long, 
for  the  pain  in  their  legs  made  them  leave  the  water  one  after  the 
other,  and  all  asserted  that  the  strongest  man  could  not  stay  more 
than  a  few  minutes  in  the  current.  In  fact,  the  water  was  only 
melted  snow  descending  from  the  Sierra  Nevada,  probably  through 
clefts  in  the  mountains,  on  which  the  sun  never  shone. 

Disappointed  in  this  attempt,  Pardoes  said  that  they  had  better 
return  to  the  well,  and  get  out  of  it  as  much  gold  as  it  was  possible 


174  THE    BOYS    OF   THE    SIERRAS. 

to  reach.  Following  his  advice  they  worked  on  all  day;  now  and  then 
one  of  them  ran  to  the  base  of  the  torrent  and  forded  the  stream  to 
look  for  nuggets.  This  attempt  was  generally  more  or  less  success- 
ful, but  had  to  be  given  up,  owing  to  the  coldness  of  the  water. 

At  night,  when  they  retired  to  rest,  the  gold  was  again  weighed. 
They  estimated  the  day's  product  at  twenty-two  pounds,  or  about 
twenty-eight  thousand  francs. 

As  they  were  sitting  round  a  large  fire  after  supper,  with  a  plate 
full  of  their  nuggets  before  them,  Creps  remarked,  — 

"  I  should  like  to  make  a  proposal,  but  I  don't  think  you  are  any 
of  you  prudent  enough  to  adopt  it.  You  have  nearly  all  lost  your 
heads." 

"Let's  hear  it,"  the  sailor  said. 

*  Well,  I  propose  that  it  shall  be  forbidden  to  work  after  certain 
hours,  which  shall  be  determined  on.  At  the  rate  we  are  now  work- 
ing, and  which  will  probably  be  continued  to-morrow  and  the  follow- 
ing day,  none  of  us  will  get  to  the  end  of  the  week  without  severe 
illness." 

"  Bah!  what  is  there  to  be  afraid  of?  "  cried  Kwik,  laughing,  and 
beginning  to  cut  capers  again.  "Look!  I  feel  as  fresh  as  if  I  had 
just  awoke  from  twenty-four  hours'  sleep!  " 

"As  to  yourself,  Donatus,  you  may  be  right;  but  it  is  not  every 
one  who  is  as  strong  as  you  are.  My  health  and  that  of  my  friends 
is  worth  more  than  gold;  and  I  don't  wish  to  be  buried  in  this  lonely 
ravine,  or  to  see  any  of  our  party  buried  here." 

Pardoes  agreed  that  Creps'  advice  was  good.  They  resolved  to 
live  exactly  as  they  had  done  at  the  Yuba  diggings,  and  tc  take  their 
meals  and  rest  regularly,  and  that  no  one  should  be  allowed  to  seek 
for  gold  except  at  the  appointed  hour. 

"  Let  us  divide  the  gold  now,"  said  the  sailor. 

"Divide  the  gold!  "  answered  Pardoes.  "That  maybe  all  very 
well  when  we  have  not  much  gold,  but  I  suppose  that  in  a  few  days 


I 


EL    DORADO. 


J75 


we  shall  possess  sixty  pounds,  shall  we  then  each  run  about  with  a 
weight  of  ten  pounds  round  our  necks?  "Who  could  work  thus?  " 

w  Never  mind,"  grumbled  the  sailor;  "let  us  share  the  contents  of 
the  plate." 

!f  Yes,  yes  I  "  replied  Donatus.  K  That  will  give  us  strength  and 
courage  when  as  we  work  we  feel  the  gold  weighing  on  our  necks." 

?  You  are  mad ! "  replied  Pardoes.  *  We  are  nearly  sure  to  find 
in  a  short  time  gold  enough  for  us  to  possess  at  least  one  hundred 
thousand  francs.  That  would  be  a  weight  of  twenty-four  pounds  for 
each  of  us  to  wear  always  on  our  necks.  Try  to  look  at  matters  with 
a  little  common  sense.  Suppose  we  were  attacked  by  bushrangers,  or 
by  Californian  savages,  they  would  take  all  the  gold  we  had  upon  us. 
We  must  be  wiser  and  more  cunning.  I  propose  to  seek  for  a  hole 
in  the  rock,  some  cleft  or  hidden  spot,  a  little  distance  from  our  tent. 
There,  from  to-morrow,  we  will  store  all  the  gold  we  find.  None 
may  touch  it  till  the  majority  consent,  and  then  only  in  the  presence 
of  the  others.  lie  who  without  permission  lays  a  finger  on  the  com- 
mon treasure,  even  only  out  of  curiosity,  gives  his  companions  the 
right  to  shoot  him  at  once,  and  he  who  wishes  to  spare  him  shall  be 
looked  on  as  his  accomplice.  These  severe  measures  are  necessary 
for  our  safety.  You  ought  to  accept  them,  for  there  are  no  other 


means." 


After  a  certain  amount  of  grumbling  from  the  sailor,  all  consented 
to  the  proposed  law.  They  stepped  into  the  tent,  rolled  themselves 
up  in  their  blankets,  and  fell  asleep  with  happy  hearts. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

THE    WELL. 

DAY  had  scarcely  dawned  before  the  excited  gold-seekers  were 
already  on  their  legs.     Their  sleep  had  been  restless,  for  the 
certainty  of  soon  possessing  heaps  of  gold  had  had   a  most 
disturbing  effect  on  their  nerves.     Their  eyes  were  red,  their  features 
haggard,  and    their  arms  stiff  and  painful.     After  breakfast,  having 
warmed  themselves  at  a  large  fire,  they  felt  ready  to  begin  work. 

They  first  sought  for  some  cleft  in  which  to  conceal  their  gold, 
and  soon  found  a  suitable  spot  about  thirty  yards  from  their  tent;  it 
was  a  cavity  under  a  mass  of  rock,  scarcely  large  enough  to  thrust 
one's  hand  into,  but  which  was  broader  lower  down,  and  so  deep 
that  one  could  not  touch  the  bottom,  except  by  a  long  stretch  of 
the  arm. 

Pardoes  put  all  the  gold  into  this  hole,  reminded  the  others  of  the 
law  they  had  adopted,  then  went  towards  the  pool,  and  after  having 
looked  into  the  water  for  a  moment  he  said  to  his  companions,  — 

^  The  dream  which  disturbed  my  rest  during  the  night  is  there. 
The  water  which  descends  from  this  gigantic  mountain  loosens  in  its 
course  stones  which  contain  gold,  breaks  them,  and  dashes  them  into 
the  abyss,  during  the  rainy  season.  Then  the  violence  of  the  swirl- 
ing waters  here  rubs  off  a  portion  of  the  gold,  and  throws  it  up  here, 
We  should  see  it  spread  about  in  larger  quantities  in  the  river  if  that 
well  did  not  stop  it  and  swallow  it  up.  The  proof  is,  that  we  have 
found  in  the  clefts  and  crevices  of  its  jagged  walls  more  than  twenty 
pounds  of  nuggets.  I  believe  if  we  could  reach  the  bottom  of  that 
well  that  we  should  find  heaps  of  gold. 

176 


THE    WELL. 


177 


"  We  must  empty  the  well,"  said  the  Ostender. 

"No,  that  won't  do;  the  river  falls  into  it." 

"It  shall  be  emptied,  even  if  we  have  to  drink  its  contents!  "  cried 
Kwik.  *To  have  thousands  of  pounds  of  gold,  and  not" 

"  Come,  no  foolery!  "  interrupted  Pardoes.  "Let  us  cut  down  a 
tall  fir-tree,  we  will  measure  with  it  the  depth  of  the  pool,  and  we 
shall  then  see  if  there  is  not  some  way  of  reaching  the  bottom." 

Having  got  a  very  long  pole  they  plunged  it  into  the  water,  till 
they  felt  the  bottom  at  about  thirty  feet.  They  raised  a  cry  of  joyful 
surprise,  convinced  that,  as  the  well  was  not  deeper,  they  would  be 
able,  by  some  means  or  other,  to  reach  the  gold.  But  when  they 
questioned  each  other  as  to  this  means,  no  one  had  any  feasible  plan 
to  propose  for  emptying  the  pool.  Discouraged  and  perplexed,  the 
gold-seekers  stood  on  the  bank  gazing  into  the  water.  At  last  Kwik, 
scratching  his  head,  remarked,  — 

"  Let  us  dive  into  the  well,  and  pull  up  the  gold  with  our  hands." 

"We  might,  indeed,"  said  Pardoes,  "perhaps  obtain  in  that  way 
nuggets  to  the  value  of  several  millions.  But  who  would  venture  into 

_  oo 

that  whirlpool  ?  " 

"Who?  I  will!  "  cried  Donatus.  "Bind  the  lasso  round  my  body; 
let  me  down  to  the  bottom,  and  pull  me  up  when  I  shake  the  rope." 

Roozeman  wanted  to  dissuade  him  from  this  dangerous  enterprise, 
but  Kwik  said  he  knew  how  to  dive  and  swim  like  a  rat,  and  that 
there  was  nothing  to  fear  from  the  whirlpool,  as  one  could  always  get 
up  again  by  the  aid  of  the  rope;  and,  besides,  if  one  wished  to  become 
a  millionaire,  one  ought  not  to  flinch  before  a  little  danger. 

His  proposal  was  adopted,  and  it  was  decided  that  if  this  first 
atttempt  was  successful  the  others  should  descend  into  the  well 
according  to  lots.  That  their  feet  and  legs  might  not  be  cut  by  the 
sharp  points  of  rock,  it  was  best  to  wear  their  shoes  and  trousers,  but 
their  other  clothes  were  to  be  taken  off.  The  lasso  was  bound  under 
Donatus'  arms,  and  lengthened  by  a  thick  rope  which  they  had  with 


178  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

them.     When  all  was  ready  for  the  descent  Kwik,  after  putting  his 
finger  in  the  water,  said,  laughing,  — 

"I  am  going;  good-by,  my  friends!  I  shall  bring  you  news  from 
the  other" 

Saying  these  words  he  had  descended  to  the  middle  in  the  water, 
holding  on  to  the  bank  with  his  hands:  but  his  voice  stopped;  he 
breathed  in  a  strange  way,  while  his  eyes  seemed  to  stand  out  of  his 
head. 

:c  Well!  what's  the  matter?  Go  down,  then,"  said  Pardoes. 

"Bah!  comrades,"  he  stuttered;  "  I  am  frozen!  I  am  burning  with 
the  terrible  cold!  Let  me  get  used  to  it.  Now  hold  the  rope  tight,  I 
am  going  down." 

Then  he  let  go  his  hold  on  the  bank,  and  dropped  down  into  the 
deep  pool.  His  companions  kept  their  eyes  fixed  upon  the  bubbling 
water.  On  the  result  of  this  attempt  might  depend  their  future  for- 
tune; all  hands  were  passed  round  the  rope  to  pull  up  the  diver  at 
the  slightest  signal. 

'  They  hadn't  long  to  wait;  a  second  or  two  after  Donatus  had 
descended  into  the  water  the  lasso  received  two  or  three  violent 
shakes.  Kwik  was  pulled  up  and  lifted  on  to  the  bank. 

"Well!  well!  did  you  touch  the  bottom?"  they  asked. 

But  Donatus  seemed  as  if  he  neither  saw  nor  heard;  his  teeth 
chattered,  his  limbs  shivered,  he  tottered  on  his  legs,  and  stammered, 
gasping,  — 

"Oh  this  cursed  gold  for  which  a  man  must  expose  his  life!  I 
don't  know  where  I  am.  I  believe  my  heart  is  frozen  in  my  body." 

"But  gold!  have  you  found  any  gold?  "  asked  the  others. 

"  A  stone,  or  gold,  or  a  piece  of  ice,  I  don't  know  which,"  he 
murmured.  "  Here!  look  at  it;  it's  all  the  same  to  me.  I  shall  run 
to  the  fire  to  thaw  myself." 

At  these  words  he  opened  his  hand  and  let  something  fall  at  his 
friends'  feet,  and  then  ran  staggering  towards  the  tent. 


I 


E 


DONATUS   IN   THE  POOL. 


THE    WELL. 

"Incredible!"  cried  Pardoes;  "a  nugget  of  pure  gold,  six  pounds 
weight  at  least!  What  marvellous  treasures  must  this  pool  contain! 
One  piece  six  pounds!  there  are,  perhaps,  thousands  of  similar  pieces, 
which  in  the  course  of  centuries  have  been  heaped  up  at  the  bottom 
of  this  pool!  Oh!  what  a  happy,  good  fortune!  " 

He  hastily  broke  off  five  grass-blades  of  different  lengths,  holding 
them  to  the  others  to  draw  lots.  It  was  evident  enough  that  a  dive 
into  the  well,  cold  as  ice,  frightened  them,  for  they  hesitated  to  take 
the  grass-blades,  disputing  who  should  draw  first. 

The  lot  decided  that  the  sailor  should  be  the  first  to  descend,  then 
Creps,  Pardoes,  the  Baron,  and  lastly  Victor,  after  which  they  would 
begin  again  with  Kwik,  and  so  on  in  rotation.  Without  hesitation 
the  Ostender  went  down  into  the  water,  but  he  very  quickly  shook 
the  lasso,  and  when  he  was  pulled  out  he  had  brought  up  three  or 
four  nuggets,  weighing  altogether  about  a  pound.  He  threw  the  gold 
on  the  ground  without  saying  a  word,  and  ran  grumbling  to  the  tent, 
where  Donatus  was  making  a  fire  big  enough  to  roast  an  ox. 

Creps  bravely  descended  into  the  pool,  but  he  found  no  gold. 
Pardoes  was  luckier,  bringing  back  at  least  two  and  a  half  pounds  of 
nuggets.  Both,  with  chattering  teeth  and  shivering  violently,  ran 
towards  the  fire,  so  that  Roozeman  and  the  Baron  remained  above  at 
the  pool's  mouth. 

The  Baron  seemed  strangely  upset;  while  Victor  bound  the  lasso 
under  his  arms  he  trembled. 

"Come,  Baron,  don't  be  afraid,"  he  said;  "it  must  be  horribly 
cold  in  there;  but  it  is  only  a  disagreeable  moment;  I  will  pull  you 
up  as  quickly  as  possible." 

The  Baron  took  a  step  backward,  murmuring  with  anxiety, — 

"  I  am  afraid  —  I  can't  swim." 

*  You  must  take  a  long  breath  first,  fill  your  chest  with  air,  and 
then  keep  your  mouth  well  shut.  There  is  no  danger;  take 


courage." 


182  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

"Courage?"  repeated  the  Baron.  r'The  day  before  yesterday  I 
should  have  seen  death  approach  me  with  pleasure.  Now  that  fate 
restores  me  fortune  and  hope  life  seems  precious  to  me.  Ah!  if  this 
abyss  should  be  the  end  of  me! " 

The  sailor  shouted  that  they  must  fairly  go  on  with  the  work  as 
agreed,  and  as  he  saw  that  no  attention  was  paid  to  his  cries  he  ran 
up,  seized  the  rope  from  Victor's  hands,  and  grumbled  out,  while  his 
teeth  still  chattered,  — 

r'You  are  trembling,  Baron?  No  foolery!  each  must  take  his 
share  in  the  trouble  as  well  as  in  the  profit.  It  is  a  horrid  bath,  it  is 
true:  but  the  illustrious  Baron  Alteroche  may  fear  as  much  as  he 
likes,  his  noble  bones  as  wrell  as" 

The  Baron  cast  a  bitter  look  upon  his  insulter,  and  jumped  so 
hastily  into  the  water  that  the  rope  nearly  escaped  from  the  Ostender's 
hands. 

After  a  few  moments  Victor  exclaimed,  seizing  the  rope,  — 

"Pull  up!    pull  up!    he  can't  swim;  he  will  be  drowned!" 

"He  hasn't  given  the  signal  yet;  wait  till  he  does,"  said  the  sailor, 
resisting  Roozeman's  efforts. 

There  was  a  struggle  on  the  banks  of  the  pool,  till  the  Ostender 
himself  acknowledged  that  the  Baron  had  been  longer  under  the 
water  than  the  others,  before  he  pulled  at  the  rope.  They  drew  it 
up  now,  the  Baron  was  hanging  to  it,  his  eyes  closed,  his  body  like 
that  of  a  dead  man. 

Hastily  they  dragged  him  on  to  the  bank;  the  sailor  began  to  roll 
him  on  the  ground,  but  Victor  seized  the  drowned  man  by  the 
shoulders  and  said, — 

"Quick!  take  him  by  the  legs;  let  us  carry  him  to  the  fire;  he 
will  revive  perhaps  yet  Poor  Baron!  to  die  thus  by  so  terrible  a 
death  in  the  desert,  far  from  his  country!  " 

The  others  got  up.  Donatus  began  to  weep  and  lament  at  the  fate 
of  the  unfortunate  Baron.  Jan  fetched  the  blankets  and  wrapped 


THE    WELL. 


1*3 


them  round  him;  then  they  tried  all  possible  means  to  restore  feeling 
to  the  lifeless  body.  Pardoes  and  the  sailor,  considering  these  efforts 
useless,  stood  by  the  fire  and  took  no  part  in  them;  the  latter  even' 
began  to  talk  of  burying  the  body  at  once  at  the  foot  of  a  rock. 

"  He  lives!  thank  God,  he  lives!  "  cried  Donatus.  "  I  felt  a  move-i 
ment  in  his  hand." 

"Yes!    yes!    he  lives!"   said  Victor;  "look!   look!    he  breathes!" 

"All  the  worse  for  him  and  for  us!  "   growled  the  Ostender, 

Movement  had  indeed  returned  to  the  Baron's  stiffened  body- 
Then  he  opened  his  eyes  and  rubbed  his  forehead  for  a  moment,  as 
one  waking  from  a  heavy  sleep.  Gradually  a  smile  came  over  his 
face,  and  he  began  to  speak  of  his  happy  return  from  California,  and 
of  the  gold  he  had  found  there. 

A  cry  of  amazement  escaped  from  his  companions;  the  sailor 
alone  laughed.  Victor  took  the  Baron's  hand,  and  tried  to  remind 
him  of  his  condition  and  where  he  was;  but  he  took  no  notice  of 
what  he  said,  and  began  to  address  his  groom,  ordering  his  horses 
and  carriage  to  be  ready  to  take  him  to  the  palace.  He  raved  also 
about  a  duel  he  was  going  to  fight. 

Then  his  head  sank  back  on  the  blanket;  he  closed  his  eyes  and 
appeared  really  asleep.  Jan,  Victor,  and  Donatus  were  deeply 
grieved  at  the  Baron's  condition.  Pardoes  told  them  that  he  was 
suffering  from  a  sharp  attack  of  fever. 

Looking  on  the  poor  Baron,  the  gold-seekers  trembling  with  cold 
sat  round  the  fire,  and  big  as  it  was  they  still  shivered  as  if  they  had 
the  ague. 

Victor  alone  suffered  no  inconvenience,  as  had  not  yet  been  under 
water.  It  was  not  long  before  the  sailor  began  a  violent  attack  upqn 
him,  asserting  that  the  Antwerper  was  trying  to  shirk  his  dive.  But 
Roozeman  got  up,  and  said, — 

"  Come,  come !  what  others  have  done,  I  mean  to  do  too.  I  am 
ready.  Who  will  hold  the  rope  ?  " 


184  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

"No,  no!  let  us  talk  no  more  of  this  mad  project,"  said  Creps; 
"we  have  already  drawn  up  one  of  our  party  almost  dead.  It  would 
be  a  crime  to  begin  again  this  dangerous  experiment. 

A  violent  quarrel  arose.  Creps  and  Kwik  were  opposed  to  Rooze- 
man  going  down.  The  sailor  and  Pardoes  asserted  that  he  had  no 
right  to  escape  the  work. 

"Well,  I  say  that  he  shall  not  dive,"  exclaimed  Kwik.  "For  all 
the  gold  in  the  world  I  would  not  go  into  that  well  again;  but  to  save 
Mr.  Victor  from  an  illness,  or  worse,  is  a  different  matter.  Put  the 
lasso  round  my  body.  I  will  be  frozen  once  more  to  the  blood  in  the 
place  of  Roozeman.  I  am  strong;  God  will  protect  me!  " 

But  Victor  put  an  end  to  the  dispute  by  expressing  his  firm  resolve 
to  be  even  with  his  companions.  Though  Donatus  told  him  how 
painful  was  the  sensation,  he  declared  he  would  make  the  attempt, 
and  requested  Pardoes  and  Creps  to  hold  the  rope. 

Without  hesitation  he  let  himself  be  lowered  into  the  pool.  He 
was  scarcely  in  the  water  when  Donatus,  who  held  a  hot  blanket  all 
ready,  began  to  shout,  — 

"Pull  up!  pull  up!" 

"Hold  your  tongue,  idiot!"  growled  Pardoes.  "He  is  the  hero; 
let  him  do  his  work." 

But  half  a  minute  after  he  said  to  himself, — 

"He  is  a  long  time  without  giving  the  signal;  we  will  pull  him  up." 

When  Victor  came  up  on  dry  land  he  was  utterly  stupefied. 
Donatus  threw  the  warm  blanket  over  his  shoulders,  and  was  about 
to  carry  him  to  the  fire;  but  Pardoes,  who  had  seen  something  glisten 
among  the  diver's  fingers,  opened  his  fists,  from  each  of  them  fell 
some  pieces  of  gold,  weighing  about  two  pounds.  They  picked  up 
the  nuggets,  ran  to  the  fire,  and  stretched  themselves  beside  it,  while 
Donatus  did  all  in  his  power  to  restore  heat  to  his  friend's  shivering 
limbs.  It  was  very  necessary.  Victor  had  remained  longer  under 
the  water  than  the  others;  his  lips  were  blue,  his  eyes  were  strangely 


VICTOR   AFTER    BEING    PULLED   OUT   OF   THE   POOL. 


THE    WELL.  187 

glassy;  he  trembled  so  that  he  tried  in  vain  to  say  an  intelligible 
word.  Gradually,  however,  he  got  better,  and  though  the  poor  fellow 
was  still  terribly  weak,  he  seemed  cheerful,  and  thanked  his  friends 
for  their  generous  care. 

The  Baron  was  asleep;  he  appeared  to  be  breathing  freely,  though 
now  and  then  he  made  nervous  gestures,  and  muttered  excited  words. 
Meanwhile  the  sailor  and  Pardoes  were  busy  examining  and  weighing 
the  nuggets,  and  they  announced  with  joy  that  at  least  twelve  pounds 
of  gold  had  been  drawn  from  the  well:  thus  the  common  treasure  had 
been  raised  in  a  day  and  a  half  to  forty-five  thousand  francs. 

The  others  expressed  no  pleasure  in  hearing  of  their  brilliant 
success.  On  the  contrary,  Creps'  lips  curled  with  a  smile  of  contempt. 
Donatus  declared  that,  if  the  gold  had  made  his  poor  friend  ill,  he 
would  curse  the  moment  when  he  had  seen  it;  the  two  invalids 
remained  utterly  indifferent.  At  last  Pardoes  asked  if  any  one  was 
of  opinion  that  they  should  resume  diving  into  the  well,  and  if  not, 
what  were  they  to  do  to  continue  seeking  gold  with  success. 

None  of  them  —  not  even  the  sailor  —  dared  to  think,  without 
horror,  of  a  second  descent  into  the  pool;  and  all  acknowledged  that 
they  must  give  up  the  attempt  unless  they  wished  to  risk  their  lives. 
Pardoes  then  expressed  his  intention  of  passing  the  rest  of  the  day 
wading  in  the  river  seeking  for  grains  of  gold  and  nuggets,  but  Creps 
would  not  hear  of  working  any  more  that  day.  He  remarked,  that  in 
any  case  two  of  their  party  must  stay  beside  the  fire  to  recover,  that 
they  were  all  tired  enough  to  require  some  hours  of  rest,  and  that 
they  would  be  mad  to  exhaust  their  strength  by  more  labor.  Pardoes 
received  this  advice  shrugging  his  shoulders,  while  the  sailor  burst 
into  a  furious  passion  against  the  weakness  and  idleness  of  his  com- 
panions, as  he  called  it.  He  even  uttered  the  word  "  coward."  Creps 
jumped  up  and  exclaimed  in  an  angry  tone,  and  with  such  fierce 
gestures  that  all  were  amazed, — 

w  I  won't  stand  your  impertinence  any  longer.     Do  you  think  that 


1 88  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

I  have  come  to  California  to  ruin  my  health  for  you,  or  to  die  like  a 
dog  in  this  wilderness,  with  my  hands  full  of  gold?  You  talk  and  act 
as  if  you  were  the  master  and  we  were  the  servants;  but  I  will  teach 
you  that  it  is  nothing  of  the  kind.  We  have  formed  a  company  on 
the  footing  of  complete  equality.  I  speak  now  in  the  name  of  the 
majority.  We  decide  not  to  work  any  more  to-day;  this  decision 
each  must  obey,  whether  he  likes  it  or  not;  so  you  had  better  make 
up  your  mind  to  submit." 

"I  shall  take  my  share  of  the  gold,  and  dissolve  the  company, 
then,"  growled  the  sailor,  springing  forward  to  run  to  the  treasure." 

But  Creps  drew  his  revolver,  and  exclaimed,  — 

"Stop,  fellow!  respect  the  law!     Another  step,  and  you  are  dead!  " 

Pardoes  made  a  sign  that  they  should  stand  still;  and  then,  seizing 
the  Ostender  by  the  middle  of  his  body  he  tried  to  drag  him  back  and 
quiet  him.  He  said  that  Creps  was  right,  and  that  as  the  majority 
sided  with  him  the  others  must  submit.  He  regretted  that  they  had 
to  lose  half  a  day  close  to  so  much  gold;  but  they  would  be  all  the 
stronger  on  the  morrow,  and  would  probably  make  up  for  lost  time. 

The  sailor,  though  still  grumbling,  submitted  at  last,  and  resumed 
his  seat  by  the  fire. 

Pardoes,  fearing  lest  the  quarrel  might  be  renewed,  led  off  the 
sailor  to  examine  the  bed  and  course  of  the  river.  They  also  tried 
to  see  if  there  was  any  chance  of  game  in  the  neighborhood,  for  they 
remembered  that  in  four  days  their  stock  of  bacon  would  be  ex- 
hausted. They  ascended,  with  their  guns,  among  the  clefts  of  the 
rock,  and  soon  disappeared  out  of  the  sight  of  their  companions. 

Creps,  silent  and  mournful,  sat  gazing  at  the  bacon  and  his  friend 
Victor;  the  idea  lest  the  latter  should,  in  consequence  of  his  dive  into 
the  well,  be  attacked  with  a  dangerous  illness  filled  him  with  grief 
and  anxiety.  He  wished  that  he  had  never  decided  to  come  to  Cali- 
fornia. In  bitter  words  he  reproached  himself  for  his  folly.  What 
had  they  gained  hitherto  by  leaving  their  happy  country? 


THE    WELL. 


189 


He  concluded  by  asserting  that  they  must  leave  this  place  as  soon 
as  possible,  before  misfortunes  or  unforeseen  disease  made  some  of 
their  companions  incapable  of  returning  to  San  Francisco.  But 
neither  Victor  nor  Donatus  would  hear  of  such  a  proposal.  They  re- 
minded him  that  they  had  attained  the  object  of  their  arduous  journey, 
and  that  their  happiness,  and  that  of  those  dear  to  them,  was  about 
to  be  realized.  A  few  days  of  courage  and  patience  might  put  them 
in  possession  of  the  treasures  they  had  so  long  dreamed  of. 

But  Creps  was  bitter  and  out  of  temper,  and  he  would  have  re- 
mained so  had  not  Roozeman  convinced  him  that  he  was  quite  cured, 
and  that  he  felt  a  pleasant  warmth  circulate  through  all  his  limbs. 
Meanwhile  the  Baron  awoke,  and  sat  up  in  his  blankets.  The  Flem- 
ings asked  him  kindly  how  he  was,  but  he  neither  knew  nor  under- 
stood them.  He  believed  himself  to  be  in  a  mansion  at  Paris, 
surrounded  by  his  servants,  to  whom  he  was  giving  orders  for  a 
princely  dinner. 

Sadly  did  his  companions  listen  to  him;  all  these  efforts  to  dispel 
his  illusions  were  in  vain. 

When,  an  hour  before  nightfall,  Pardoes  and  the  sailor  returned  to 
the  tent,  they  showed  their  companions  two  water-birds  they  had 
killed.  They  could  easily  have  brought  back  a  dozen,  but  they  had 
spent  most  of  their  time  exploring  the  river  to  see  if  it  contained  gold. 
But  they  had  seen  scarcely  any.  They  must,  therefore,  confine  their 
labor  to  the  valley  in  which  their  tent  was  pitched.  Pardoes'  plan 
was  to  dam  up  the  bed  of  the  river  at  some  favorable  spot,  empty 
some  of  the  shallower  pools,  and  thus  obtain  the  nuggets  they  con- 
tained, without  being  obliged  to  dive  into  icy  water.  It  would  be 
slow  work,  but  the  success  would  be  certain.  Pardoes,  who  wished 
to  raise  his  friends'  sinking  spirits,  spoke  of  the  probably  brilliant  re- 
sult of  their  enterprise. 

Donatus  became  so  excited  on  hearing  Pardoes'  words  that  he 
shouted,  "Long  live  Baron  Kwik!  Long  live  Anneken,  the  baroness! 
Hurrah!  hurrah!" 


190  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

A  cry  of  pain  from  Victor  brought  him  to  his  senses;  he  read  in 
his  friend's  eyes  that  he  thought  he  was  as  mad  as  the  Baron,  so  he 
went  up  to  him  laughingly,  and  whispered  in  his  ear, — 

"Don't  fear  for  me,  good  Roozeman;  I  am  a  poor  simpleton,  no 
doubt,  but  the  little  sense  I  have  is  not  so  easily  disturbed;  my  brains 
are  well  screwed  into  my  head." 

The  two  birds  were  soon  roasted.  Creps  proposed  to  give  one  of 
them  to  Victor  and  the  Baron,  as  they  were  ill.  All  consented, 
except  the  sailor,  who  demanded  his  full  share.  They  gave  it  to  him, 
and  then  he  pretended  it  was  too  small.  His  mates,  to  appease  his 
selfishness,  gave  him  more  than  his  share;  this  did  not  prevent  him 
from  grumbling  against  those  who  ate  but  were  too  lazy  to  work. 

Next  day  the  gold-seekers  were  early  at  work;  they  had  decided 
to  make  a  semi-circular  embankment  in  the  river,  so  as  to  completely 
lay  dry  a  portion  of  its  bed.  Pardoes  did  not  think  it  would  be 
finished  till  after  twelve  days'  hard  labor.  The  spot  they  had  fixed 
on  included  many  small  crevices  and  cavities,  in  which  they  saw  gold 
glittering;  and  if  they  were  successful,  they  would  doubtless  obtain 
many  nuggets.  This  hope  gave  them  courage.  They  carried  or 
rolled  large  blocks  of  stone  from  the  rock  to  the  river,  which  they 
piled  up  in  the  water  to  form  their  embankment. 

The  Baron  was  completely  insane.  Now  and  then  he  seemed  to 
understand  that  they  were  working  thus  to  get  gold,  but  most  of  the 
time  he  imagined  himself  at  Paris,  where  a  superb  mansion  was  being 
built  for  him.  He  would  then  work  with  activity,  carrying  heavy 
stones  on  his  shoulders;  this  was  to  give  an  example  to  the  workmen, 
so  that  his  magnificent  residence  might  be  more  quickly  finished. 

For  some  time  the  gold-seekers  had  to  contend  with  the  torrent, 
which  ten  times  in  one  day  overthrew  their  work,  carrying  away  the 
stones  they  had  heaped  up.  But  they  overcame  this  obstacle  by 
dragging  up  an  enormous  mass  of  rock, —  a  labor  which  for  forty- 
eight  hours  demanded  their  united  strength  and  all  their  skill.  They 


THE    WELL. 

succeeded  at  last,  by  using  trunks  of  cedars  as  levers  and  supports, 
in  placing  this  huge  stone  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  where  it  served 
as  the  central  point  of  the  embankment  which  was  to  be  raised 
around  it. 

It  was  slavish  work;  but  the  comrades  were  all  blinded  by  the 
thirst  for  gold.  As  they  were  forced  constantly  to  walk  through  icy 
water  their  feet  were  nearly  frozen,  while  their  heads,  exposed  to  the 
sun,  burned  as  if  their  brains  were  on  fire. 

Victor  Roozeman  did  not  seem  well;  ever  since  his  dive  into  the 
pool  his  face  had  been  deadly  pale.  However,  he  assured  his  friends 
he  was  in  good  health,  and  capable  of  working  as  much  as  they  did. 

The  Ostender's  continual  persecutions  had  wrought  an  unfavorable 
change  in  the  Baron's  condition.  He  no  longer  dreamed  of  the  castle 
that  was  being  built  for  him;  his  fixed  idea  was  that  he  was  the  victim 
of  a  cruel  tyranny.  He  seemed,  too,  to  have  lost  all  courage  now, 
and  he  continued  to  work  on  in  mournful  silence. 

As  to  Donatus,  he  was  always  in  a  good  humor.  He  worked  on 
bravely,  cheering  his  mates  by  his  jests,  and  talking  about  his  castle 
and  Anneken. 

Pardoes  had  asserted  that  their  work  would  be  done  in  twelve 
days,  but  they  had  already  been  working  ten,  and  at  least  a  third  part 
of  their  embankment  remained  to  be  constructed.  Whilst  they  were 
at  dinner  on  the  twelfth  day,  Pardoes  told  them  that  on  the  following 
day  their  stock  of  bacon  would  be  exhausted,  and  that  there  would 
be  very  little  flour  left.  It  was  necessary,  therefore,  that  one  or 
other  of  them  should  go  every  day  out  hunting  to  obtain  food  for  the 
rest.  That  their  work  should  not  suffer,  Pardoes  proposed  to  send 
Victor  and  the  Baron  on  the  morrow;  it  would  be  an  amusement  tor 
them  and  good  exercise. 

The  sailor  grumbled,  and  demanded  that  lots  should  be  drawn. 
According  to  him,  w  Every  one  for  himself,"  was  the  law  of  California; 
and  if  any  one  was  sick  or  crazy  all  the  worse  for  him. 


192  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

Creps  and  Donatus  flew  into  a  passion  with  him,  but  as  Victor  re- 
fused to  accept  any  privilege  they  drew  lots.  It  fell  to  the  Ostender 
and  Kwik  to  go  first  to  hunt.  They  returned  at  nightfall  with  three 
little  birds,  and  an  animal  like  a  rabbit.  It  was  not  much,  still  it 
gave  them  hope  that  they  would  not  starve  in  this  place. 

Next  day,  when  Creps  and  Pardoes  returned  from  a  ten-hours' 
chase,  weary  and  exhausted,  they  only  brought  back  a  couple  of  birds 
something  like  partridges.  Every  succeeding  day  they  were  less  suc- 
cessful; there  was  probably  very  little  game  in  the  country,  and  their 
shots  had  frightened  and  driven  away  the  few  animals  that  were  about. 
Besides,  the  gold-seekers  did  not  dare  to  go  far  from  their  tent,  ex- 
cept along  the  banks  of  the  river,  for  fear  of  losing  their  way. 

When  all  their  provisions  were  exhausted  they  saw  themselves 
with  terror  threatened  by  famine,  and  more  than  once  they  had  to  go 
to  bed  with  almost  empty  stomachs.  They  became  very  ill-tempered 
and  quarrelsome  with  each  other.  Creps  again  insisted  that  they 
ought  to  quit  this  fatal  spot;  but  as  the  embankment  was  nearly 
finished  he  was  persuaded  to  wait  two  or  three  days  longer. 

When  they  arose  on  the  following  morning  they  saw  with  horror 
and  grief  that  the  torrent  had  during  the  night  overthrown  more  than 
thirty  feet  of  their  embankment.  Thus  an  entire  week's  work  was 
lost  The  sailor  was  furious;  he  reproached  his  companions,  and 
behaved  like  a  madman.  The  others,  vexed  and  despondent,  gazed 
on  the  remains  of  their  painful  labor. 

t?  Well,  friends,"  said  Pardoes,  at  last,  w  the  disaster  is  great  indeed, 
but  it  is  limited  to  the  loss  of  five  or  six  days  of  work.  We  are  too 
impatient,  and  ask  too  much  of  fortune.  This  place  that  we  are  try- 
ing to  enclose  contains  gold  enough  to  repay  us  tenfold.  We  must 
carry  on  the  embankment  straight  to  the  shore,  it  will  be  completed 
in  two  days.  Three  of  us  must  constantly  go  hunting,  while  the  other 
three  work.  In  this  way  we  shall  not  lack  food." 

When  Creps  exclaimed  in  a  fit  of  fury  that  they  should  depart  at 


THE   GOLD-SEEKERS    MAKING    AN    EMBANKMENT. 


THE    WELL. 


once,  Pardoes  replied  bitterly  that  it  would  be  thorough  cowardice  to 
give  up  the  struggle  against  Nature,  when  they  were  sure  of  wrestino- 
from  her,  within  three  days,  treasures  which  she  was  vainly  trying  to 
keep  from  them.  Donatus  and  Victor  took  the  Brusseller's  part,  so 
Jan  withdrew  his  opposition. 

Creps,  Donatus,  and  Victor  started  off  to  forage;  Pardoes  and  the 
Ostender  set  to  work  to  carry  pieces  of  rock  to  the  river;  in  this  labor 
they  obliged  the  Baron  to  help  them. 

During  their  dinner-hour  the  Baron  was  seated  by  the  fire,  gnawing 
the  remains  of  a  bird.  The  sailor  was,  as  usual,  standing  close  to  the 
well  whence  they  had  drawn  so  much  gold;  he  was  scratching  his 
head,  stamping  his  feet,  and  making  gestures  of  impatience.  Pardoes, 
who  was  walking  at  the  foot  of  the  rocks,  had  kept  his  eye  fixed  on 
the  Ostender;  he  now  approached  him  and  said,  joking, — 

"  The  gold  below  yonder  has  bewitched  you.  Are  you  dreaming 
of  some  means  by  which  to  get  at  it?  " 

"Dreaming!"  repeated  the  other,  in  a  strange  tone;  "dreaming! 
I  will  get  that  gold,  as  sure  as  I  live,  I  tell  you!  " 

"  Do  you  mean  to  risk  the  dive  again  ?  I  would  not  advise  you  to 
make  the  dangerous  attempt." 

The  sailor  took  him  by  the  hand  and  said,  "  Pardoes,  you  are  my 
friend;  I  could  keep  for  myself  all  the  gold  enclosed  in  that  pool,  but 
I  don't  wish  to.  I  will  share  it  with  you.  Consent!  and  we  are 
millionaires  several  times  over!" 

"I  don't  understand  you;  what  do  you  mean?  "asked  the  Brus- 
seller,  amazed.  "  Do  you  know  any  plan  of  getting  hold  of  the  gold 
down  there?  Say  if  you  do,  and  we  will  try  it!  " 

A  laugh  of  contempt  curled  the  Ostender's  lips  as  he  said, — 

"  If  two  brave  men  alone  knew  the  existence  of  this  treasure,  if 
they  had  gold  enough  to  buy  at  Sacramento  the  necessary  tools, 
would  they  not  find  gold  enough  here  to  lade  two  or  three  mules  ?  " 

"I  have  already  thought  of  that,"  replied  Pardoes;  "we  have  gold 


196  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

enough;  we  will  return  here  as  you  say,  and  work  the  pool  with  the 
proper  instruments." 

"  And  our  lazy,  weak  companions  ?  " 

*  They  will  soon  return,  they  are  weary  of  gold-seeking.  We  will 
go  with  them  as  far  as  to  Sacramento  valley,  and  while  they  are  tra- 
velling to  San  Francisco  we  will  go  back  and  seek  the  necessary 
tools  at  Sacramento." 

''These  cowards,"  said  the  sailor,  "were  born  to  be  our  ruin!  •' 

"How  so?" 

•?  They  will  deprive  us  of  our  treasure." 

"  What  a  foolish  notion!  " 

"  Foolish!  you  think  it?  Let  them  only  go  to  San  Francisco  and 
the  vast  fortune  which  belongs  to  us  is  lost.  They  will  live  there  in 
luxury  with  their  gold,  and  when  their  health  and  strength  are  restored 
they  will  forget  the  miseries  they  have  endured.  Then  their  thirst 
for  gold  will  revive,  they  will  choose  other  companions,  and  return  to 
this  spot." 

"Don't  fear  that,"  said  the  Brusseller,  laughing;  "for  all  the  trea- 
sures in  the  world  Jan  Creps  would  never  return  here,  and  without 
him  his  friends  would  not  move  an  inch.  Roozeman  is  seriously  ill, 
be  sure  of  it!  " 

rc  That  is  all  the  worse,"  growled  the  sailor.  "  Stupid  as  they  are, 
they  will  tell  the  secret,  and  hundreds  of  greedy  men  will  come  to 
dispute  our  treasure.  Who  knows  if  on  our  return  we  shan't  find  the 
place  invaded  by  others  ?  " 

"Possibly;  but  what  else  can  we  do?" 

"Oh!  I  know  a  way,"  said  the  sailor,  as  he  put  his  mouth  to  his 
friend's  ear;  "certainly  they  would  never  come  back  here,  and  would 
still  less  speak  about  it  in  San  Francisco  ...  if  they  had  to  leave 
here  without  gold,  without  arms,  Hunger,  robbers  "  .  .  . 

The  Brusseller  turned  pale,  and  withdrew  his  hand  from  that  of 
his  companion. 


THE    WELL. 


197 


''What  do  I  hear?"  he  exclaimed.  "Is  it  a  miserable  robbery 
that  you  propose  ?  " 

"  A  robbery!  "  repeated  the  other,  laughing;  "we  shall  only  take 
what  belongs  to  us ;  for  without  us  "... 

"What!  "  said  Pardoes.  "Betray  our  friends  in  such  a  cowardly 
way!  If  you  had  not  always  been  my  friend  I  should  send  a  bullet 
through  your  head." 

The  sailor  was  alarmed  at  the  violence  of  Pardoes'  anger. 

:?  Why  do  you  fly  into  such  a  rage  ?  "  said  he,  with  feigned  calm- 
ness. "What  I  said  was  only  an  idea  which  came  into  my  head.  I 
would  undertake  nothing  without  you;  I  shall  always  remain  your 
faithful  friend,  and  I  shall  never  do  anything  that  you  don't  approve 
of.  I  was  wrong,  of  course.  As  the  plan  doesn't  please  you  we  will 
say  no  more  about  it.  It  would  be  cowardly,  perhaps,  but  I  believe 
most  people  would  betray  their  own  father  and  mother  for  the  sake 
of  gold." 

Pardoes  replied  sharply;  but  the  sailor  acknowledged  that  he  was 
wrong  with  such  humility  that  the  Brusseller  promised  to  forget  his 
infamous  proposal,  and  not  to  breathe  a  word  of  it  to  the  others. 

All  that  day  the  sailor  was  very  cheerful  at  his  work.  Even  when 
Creps  and  his  friends  returned  from  the  chase,  only  bringing  five  little 
birds,  he  neither  swore  nor  grumbled,  merely  saying  that  he  hoped 
that  Pardoes,  who  was  a  capital  shot,  would  bring  them  in  a  good 
stock  of  game  on  the  morrow. 

The  supper  was  very  sad,  for  there  was  not  near  enough  to  satisfy 
the  famishing  gold-seekers. 

The  sailor's  strange  conduct  made  Pardoes  very  anxious ;  there 
was  something  unnatural  in  it;  it  probably  concealed  evil  intentions. 
On  the  other  hand,  he  might  wish  to  acknowledge  sincerely  how 
wrong  he  had  been.  Pardoes,  who  had  a  warm  friendship  for  the 
rough  sailor,  tried  to  put  his  suspicions  out  of  his  head;  but  he  re- 
solved to  keep  his  eye  on  his  friend,  especially  when  towards  morning 
it  would  be  his  turn  to  mount  guard. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

THE    CORPSES. 

THE  morning  dawn  was  descending  like  a  gray  mist  from  the 
summits  of  the  mountains  when  suddenly  the  gold-seekers* 
sleep  was  disturbed  by  a  cry  of  agony. 

They  all  rose  together,  felt  about  for  their  weapons;  but  they  shud- 
dered with  terror  when  they  found  that  their  guns  had  disappeared. 

"Treason!  treason!"  shouted  Creps.  ''The  revolvers,  friends! 
let  us  defend  ourselves!" 

They  rushed  out  of  the  tent,  looking  round  on  all  sides  to  find  the 
weapons  which  had  been  taken  from  them. 

"  Where  are  the  sailor  and  the  Brusseller?"  murmured  Donatus. 
"It  seems  to  me  that  this  smells  of  savages!  " 

But  a  groan  of  pain  arose  in  the  darkness  some  thirty  yards  off. 
They  walked  cautiously  in  that  direction  to  the  foot  of  the  rock. 
Pardoes  lay  there  stretched  on  his  back,  the  blood  was  flowing  from 
a  large  wound  in  his  breast.  Creps  and  his  friends  sank  down  by  the 
side  of  the  wounded  man,  raised  his  head,  and  tried  to  close  the 
wound.  Pardoes  still  breathed,  and  he  seemed  even  to  regain  con- 
sciousness, thanks  to  the  attentions  of  his  companions,  for  he  made 
efforts  to  speak. 

The  Baron  did  not  seem  to  know  what  was  going  on ;  the  poor 
madman  raised  shouts  of  laughter  and  cries  of  joy;  but  his  com- 
panions were  far  too  overcome  to  pay  any  attention  to  his  strange  and 
wild  behavior. 

Creps  and  Donatus  lifted  up  the  wounded  man  and  carried  him  to 
the  tent,  while  Victor  held  a  piece  of  linen  to  the  wound  to  stop  the 

198 


THE    CORPSES. 


I99 


blood  as  much  as  possible.  The  blankets  were  arranged  with  all 
the  care  they  could  under  the  circumstances,  to  form  a  couch  on 
which  the  Brusseller  was  placed,  while  his  chest  was  wrapped  and 
bandaged  up. 

It  was  not  daylight  yet;  the  Flemings  knelt  beside  the  bed  of 
their  unfortunate  friend,  and  with  heavy  hearts  kept  their  eyes  fixed 
on  his  face  to  discover  any  signs  of  life.  At  length  Pardoes  half 
opened  his  eyes,  looked  at  his  comrades,  and  moved  his  lips  as  if  he 
wished  to  speak.  Then  he  stammered  out,  gasping, — 

"  Sailor  .  .  .  stolen  the  gold  .  .  .  guns  in  the  well  .  .  .  assassin 
.  .  .  God  .  .  .  my  mother  ,  .  .  Brussels  "... 

After  these  words  he  closed  his  eyes  and  remained  motionless, 
as  if  he  had  sunk  under  this  last  effort  to  explain  matters  to  his 
comrades. 

Donatus  raised  a  cry  and  ran  out.  In  a  few  moments  after  he 
returned  with  a  handful  of  nuggets,  and  groaned  out  with  tears  in 
his  eyes, — 

"Alas!  alas!  the  gold  is  indeed  stolen!  This  is  all  that  the 
rascally  felon  has  left  in  the  hole  or  dropped  in  his  haste.  Three 
pounds!  not  more  than  three  pounds!  The  robber!  the  wretch!  He 
has  fled  into  my  castle.  Alas!  I  must  become  a  farm-servant  again. 
But  my  Anneken,  my  poor  Anneken!  What  will  she  say  to  me  on 
my  return  ?  " 

After  a  few  moments'  thought,  he  exclaimed  suddenly,  — 

"The  sailor  cannot  be  far  off;  let  us  climb  the  rocks,  we  shall 
overtake  him,  and  get  it  all  back  from  him.  I  will  blow  out  his 
brains!  I  must  have  my  gold.  Come!  come!" 

Creps  dashed  the  nuggets  out  of  his  hand,  and  said  angrily,  — 

"  Hold  your  tongue !  I  won't  take  a  step  to  get  that  horrible  metal 
which  changes  men  into  tigers.  Let  the  sailor  go,  he  carries  his  own 
curse  upon  his  head.  Remain,  I  tell  you;  enough  blood  has  been 
shed!" 


200  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

Donatus  picked  up  the  nuggets,  putting  them  into  a  little  leather 
bag  which  hung  round  his  neck. 

"Gold  is  gold,"  he  mumbled:  "  the  less  one  has  the  more  precious 
is  it.  We  can't  tell  what  use  it  may  not  be  " 

Whilst  the  others  had  turned  awa}T  from  the  wounded  man  for  a 
moment,  the  Baron  was  sitting  close  to  Pardoes'  head.  A  gleam  of 
intelligence  lighted  up  his  features.  With  a  strange  smile,  however, 
his  eye  remained  fixed  on  the  pale  face  of  the  dying  man,  while  now 
and  then  he  uttered  words  of  triumph.  His  comrades  looked  at  him 
with  amazement,  and  listened  trembling. 

Then  he  looked  with  an  imperious  air  as  he  gave  orders  to  his 
companions,  whom  he  took  for  his  servants,  as  to  his  approaching 
funeral,  which  he  desired  should  be  conducted  with  the  utmost  state, 
and  as  grand  as  that  of  a  king:  at  last  he  grew  calmer  and  sat  down 
again. 

"Horrible!   horrible!"  murmured  Victor. 

"  This  spot  is  enchanted,"  said  Donatus ;  "  the  gold  here  is  guarded 
by  invisible  demons?  Don't  let  us  delay,  let  us  start  at  once!" 

"Start!  "  Roozeman  said.  '?  We  can't  leave  our  poor  friend  Par- 
does  in  this  condition!  We  must  wait  until  we  see  him  buried, 
if  he  dies." 

"  But  what  are  we  to  do  with  a  dying  man  and  a  madman?  "  cried 
Donatus,  in  terror.  "  No  food,  no  guns,  we  shall  die  of  hunger;  and 
on  the  road,  bushrangers,  savages,  bears!  Now  I  understand  the 
Baron;  Pardoes  is  indeed  the  happiest!  It  is  all  over  with  him. 
Alas,  poor  Kwik!  why  did  you  ever  leave  happy  Natten-Haes- 
clonck?" 

Jan  Creps  arose  and  said  resolutely,  — 

"Our  lot  is  a  horrible  one,  my  friends;  yesterday  we  scarcely  ate 
anything.  If  we  don't  make  an  effort  to  get  food  famine  will  soon 
make  an  end  of  us.  '  Help  yourselves,  and  God  will  help  you/ 
says  a  proverb  invented  by  men  in  as  desperate  plight  as  we  are." 


DONATUS   DISCOVERING   THAT   THE  GOLD   HAS   BEEN   STOLEN. 


THE    CORPSES. 


203 


And  turning  towards  the  Baron  he  asked,  — 

"Baron,  will  you  watch  over  poor  Pardoes?  will  you  give  him 
drink  when  he  is  thirsty?  You  will  not  forsake  him?" 

"Forsake  him?  Never!  never!"  replied  the  madman.  "I  will 
stay  with  him  always!  " 

"  Will  you  make  a  fire  ?  " 
«  A  large  fire." 

"  Come,  then,  don't  let  us  lose  a  moment,  comrades.  The  revolver 
is  a  bad  weapon,  we  shall  have  difficulty  enough  in  shooting  down 
our  game;  but  we  must  hesitate  no  longer,  necessity  is  an  iron  law, 
and  we  must  obey  it." 

It  went  against  Victor's  heart  to  abandon  poor  Pardoes  to  the 
Baron's  doubtful  care;  he  expressed  his  desire  to  remain  near  the 
tent;  but  Creps  had  for  some  time  remarked  that  his  friend  was 
thoroughly  upset,  and  very  pale,  and  he  thought  it  best  to  get  him 
away  from  this  sorrowful  scene.  They  once  more  enjoined  the  Baron 
to  pay  attention  to  the  slightest  movements  of  the  wounded  man,  and 
then  all  three  climbed  the  rocks  in  search  of  game,  though  at  every 
step  to  encounter  fresh  danger. 

They  only  saw  a  few  birds,  and,  moreover,  found  that  it  was 
impossible  to  take  proper  aim  with  a  revolver.  After  wandering 
about  for  two  hours  and  discharging  their  revolvers  twenty  times 
they  had  not  got  a  single  bird.  Gloomy  and  despondent  they 
reached  the  verge  of  the  wood.  Roozeman  was  especially  silent;  he 
scarcely  replied  to  his  friends'  encouraging  words.  Creps  was  deeply 
troubled  at  this;  however,  he  concealed  his  anxiety. 

At  last  Donatus  hit  a  wild  pigeon. 

Creps  gave  it  to  Roozeman,  saying,  — 

"Take  it,  Victor;  go  straight  to  the  tent  and  cook  it.  We  will 
follow  you  through  the  woods  to  see  if  fortune  will  smile  on  us  a 
second  time.  Make  haste;  we  are  dying  of  hunger." 

When  Victor  descended  the  rocks  he  saw  the  flames  of  the  fire. 


204  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

This  sight  cheered  him;  it  made  him  think  that  the  Baron  had  care- 
fully performed  his  duties.  With  hasty  steps  he  approached  the  tent, 
eager  to  learn  poor  Pardoes'  state;  but  a  cry  of  agony  escaped  him: 
the  tent  was  empty,  even  the  wounded  man  had  disappeared! 

Roozeman  remained  motionless  for  a  moment.  He  thought  of 
wild  animals,  and  of  Californian  savages;  but  that  was  only  for  a 
second,  for  nothing  was  touched  in  the  tent,  everything  was  in  its 
place,  and  everything  else  appeared  just  as  they  had  left  it. 

He  went  out  and  called  the  Baron  with  all  his  strength;  but  the 
only  reply  was  the  echo  of  his  own  voice.  Then  he  thought  he 
observed  on  the  grass  -traces  as  of  a  heavy  body  which  had  been 
dragged  along  the  ground:  these  marks  led  him  to  the  foot  of  a 
precipitous  rock.  Then  he  'suddenly  drew  back  with  a  shriek  of 
horror;  for  his  gaze  fell  on  two  human  bodies.  He  fell  back  fainting 
on  the  ground. 

A  few  minutes  after  he  came  to  himself,  and  ran  in  the  opposite 
direction  beyond  the  tent,  where  he  met  Creps  and  Kwik  returning 
from  the  chase  without  any  game. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  both  exclaimed. 

"Come!  come!"  replied  he.  "It  is  horrible!  incomprehensible! 
The  Baron  and  Pardoes  have  disappeared  from  the  tent.  They  are 
lying  on  their  backs,  mutilated,  crushed! " 

Arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  rock,  they  stood  transfixed  with  horror 
at  the  dreadful  sight. 

'They  have  fallen  from  above;  all  their  limbs  are  broken,"  said 
Kwik,  with  trembling  horror. 

"  The  curse  of  God  hangs  over  this  place,"  cried  Creps.  "  Let  us 
flee  from  it;  the  gold  will  devour  us.  I  will  not  die  here!  You, 
Victor,  must  not  stay  beside  these  horrible  corpses.  Return  to  the 
fire.  Cook  the  bird.  Obey  me.  We  will  bury  the  corpses,  then  we 
will  depart  from  this  cursed  land,  where  famine  stares  us  in  the  face. 
Go,  I  tell  you,  and  make  all  haste  with  our  meal ! " 


THE    CORPSES. 


205 


Victor  obeyed.  Creps  and  Kwik  dug  a  grave  at  the  foot  of  the 
rocks,  rilling  it  up  with  earth  and  large  stones  to  protect  the  remains 
of  their  unhappy  friends  against  savage  animals.  Donatus  tied  a 
piece  of  wood  to  the  branch  of  a  tree  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  which 
he  placed  over  the  grave  to  show  that  those  who  rested  beneath  this 
heap  of  stones  were  Christians. 

Then  both  knelt  down,  uttered  a  prayer,  and,  weeping,  returned  to 
the  tent. 

The  roasted  pigeon  was  divided  and  eagerly  devoured.  On  Creps7 
order  they  hastily  removed  the  canvas  from  the  tent,  and  got  all 
ready  to  start.  As  they  were  putting  on  their  knapsacks  Donatus 
exclaimed,  — 

"We  are  not  certain  that  we  shall  ever  see  a  human  being  again. 

o      o 

Still  there  is  a  chance  for  us.  I  mean  to  dive  once  more  into  that 
pool.  Who  knows  if  I  shan't  fish  up  my  castle  again  ?  " 

"Not  another  word  about  it!"  cried  Creps.  '?Take  up  your 
knapsack! " 

:?  Yes,  but,"  remarked  Donatus,  "  I  have  an  idea  that  if  I  were  to 
dive  in  with  the  saucepan  I  could,  perhaps,  fill  it  with  nuggets." 

"No,  no!  don't  do  it,  Donatus;  you  will  probably  risk  your  life," 
said  Victor,  implc.lngly. 

'f There's  much  to  risk,  indeed,  in  such  a  life!"  murmured  Kwik. 
TThe  savages,  hunger,  or  the  pool,  what  do  I  know?  But  if  you 
don't  wish  it,  I  give  it  up.  Let  us  be  off." 

"Jan  Creps,  without  listening  to  him,  had  already  started,  and  was 
beginning  to  scale  the  rocks  with  Roozeman.  It  was  plain  that  the 
latter  had  more  courage  than  strength;  for  although  he  struggled 
against  the  difficulties  of  the  road,  he  often  stopped  to  take  breath, 
scarcely  being  able  to  climb  the  mountain  side.  Donatus  kept  beside 
him,  supporting  and  helping  him,  till  they  had  reached  the  upper 
part  of  the  valley,  where  they  halted  to  rest,  and  to  ascertain  which 
would  be  the  best  way  to  go,  either  to  ascend  the  mountain  or  keep 
in  the  valley. 


206  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

After  glancing  at  the  mountain  for  a  moment  Creps  observed, — 

"We  must  choose  our  road,  friends.  To  return  to  the  Yuba  dig- 
gings by  the  barren  desert  does  not  seem  advisable  to  me,  even  were 
it  possible.  I  think  we  should  do  well  to  descend  towards  the  valley, 
turning  away  from  the  Sierra  Nevada.  Perhaps  in  four  or  five  days 
we  may  reach  the  Sacramento  valley,  and  meet  some  people.  Our 
lot  is  terrible,  but  let  us  keep  up  our  courage,  and  hope  to  the  end. 
On  the  way  we  must  try  and  shoot  some  game.  If  we  don't  succeed 
we  must  eat  roots  and  herbs;  but  let  us  make  haste.  On  the  delay 
of  a  few  hours  our  safety  may  depend.  Forward,  then!  let  us 
descend  the  mountains  as  much  as  possible  to  the  end  of  the  wood, 
and  may  God  be  with  us,  and  preserve  us  under  this  accumulation  of 
miseries!  " 

They  began  the  long  and  painful  journey,  and  walked  without 
stopping  till  noon,  then  they  resolved  to  rest  an  hour.  Victor  re- 
mained with  the  knapsacks,  while  his  friends  went  into  the  forest  to 
look  for  game.  There  were  birds,  indeed,  on  the  trees,  but  they  fired 
without  hitting  them.  At  the  least  noise  all  the  game  flew  away  to  a 
great  distance. 

Silent  and  despondent  they  returned  to  their  friend. 

"Poor  Victor!"  said  Kwik,  sighing.  "It  is  worse  for  him. 
Haven't  you  noticed,  Mr.  Jan,  that  he  has  scarcely  any  strength  ?  He 
doesn't  complain,  but  he  seems  very  ill." 

"  I  see  it,  indeed,"  replied  Creps.  "  His  state  alarms  me  more  than 
all  the  dangers  which  threaten  us.  Still  we  must  march  and  march 
on  until  we  sink  or  meet  with  our  deliverance.  To  rest  is  only  to 
await  starvation." 

"If  we  could  only  procure  for  Victor  a  little  strengthening  food! 
but  without  eating  how  can  he  hold  out  for  half  a  day?  What  shall 
we  do  if  we  find  nothing?  Victor  must  not  die.  Even  were  I  to 

o 

give  him  my  own  blood  to  drink  I  would  rather  die  than  he.  Ah ! 
silence!  silence!  I  saw  something  there  under  that  thick  tree-root  — 
an  animal ! " 


THE    CORPSES.  2O7 

At  these  words  he  approached,  bent  down,  and  plunged  his  arm 
up  to  the  elbow  in  the  hole.  He  raised  a  sharp  cry;  his  eyes  seemed 
to  start  from  his  head. 

;r  What  do  you  feel  ?  what  has  happened  to  you  ?  "  asked  Creps. 

"  It  bites!  it  scratches!     Ah!  oh!  "  cried  Donatus. 

«  Let  it  go." 

^  Let  it  go !  no !  it  may  devour  one  of  my  hands.  I  shall  drag  it 
out  by  the  other.  Let  it  go,  indeed !  perhaps  poor  Victor's  life  de- 
pends upon  it.  Ah!  I've  got  it  by  the  neck;  I  am  strangling  it. 
Here  it  is!  Look!" 

And  he  displayed  an  animal  about  the  size  of  a  rabbit,  with  very 
strong  teeth  and  sharp  claws,  which  resembled  a  weasel  and  had  a 
very  nasty  smell.  Blood  flowed  from  Donatus'  hands,  but  he  shook 
it  off,  and  holding  the  animal  up  in  the  air,  exclaimed,  — 

"Smell  as  bad  as  you  like,  old  fellow!  in  a  quarter  of  hour  you 
will  go  into  Bread  Street!  It  is  true  that  not  a  dog  at  Natten-Haes- 
donck  would  touch  you;  but  starving  men  can't  be  so  particular." 

Giving  the  animal  to  his  companion,  he  began  to  cut  down  wood 
with  his  knife.  Then  he  made  a  fire,  while  Creps  skinned  the  animal. 

Donatus  had  become  quite  merry  again.  He  had  such  a  light 
heart  that  in  the  most  painful  situations  he  could  laugh  and  joke  as 
soon  as  the  smallest  ray  of  light  pierced  the  cloud  of  his  sorrow.  He 
tried  to  raise  Victor's  courage  by  the  hope  of  a  dainty  meal,  and 
talked  of  dear  and  happy  Belgium,  as  if  he  were  certain  of  seeing  it 


again. 


The  animal  was  soon  cooked.  It  was  very  nasty;  hungry  as  they 
were  they  could  scarcely  eat  it.  Roozeman  showed  little  appetite; 
his  friends  had  to  tell  him  that  he  would  never  be  able  to  preserve  his 
strength  without  food.  He  was  silent  and  depressed;  however,  he 
did  not  complain,  and  even  smiled  at  Kwik's  efforts  to  amuse  them. 

They  resumed  their  journey.  They  had  many  steep  mountains  to 
climb.  Each  time  they  reached  a  summit  they  gazed  around  on  all 


208  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

sides  in  the  hopes  of  discovering  something  encouraging  and  consol- 
ing; but  they  saw  nothing  but  endless  ridges  of  mountains  and 
valleys. 

After  they  had  walked  for  three  or  four  hours  it  was  plain,  though 
he  would  not  confess  it  himself,  that  Victor's  strength  was  exhausted. 

They  agreed  to  rest  again,  and  make  another  attempt  to  get  food; 
but  just  at  the  moment  when  they  halted  Kwik  picked  up  something 
from  the  ground,  and  cried, — 

"  Men  have  passed  here !  This  is  an  arrow  —  a  strange  arrow,  too, 
with  a  piece  of  sharp  stone  at  the  end." 

c  You  know  what  Pardoes  told  us;  it  is  a  weapon  of  the  Califor- 
nian  savages,"  answered  Creps. 

"Savages!  savages!"  groaned  Donatus,  turning  pale.  "I  would 
rather  die  of  hunger  than  have  the  skin  of  my  head  torn  off  by  those 
horrible  men.  Don't  let  us  stay  here!  I  will  carry  Mr.  Victor  on  my 
back  if  need  be." 

Creps  agreed  that  it  would  be  prudent  to  move  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible from  a  wood  which  mi^ht  serve  as  a  shelter  for  savages. 

O  o 

Donatus  made  Roozeman  lean  on  his  arm,  and  he  supported  him  so 
well  and  carefully  that,  worn  out  as  his  friend  was,  he  managed  to 
walk  on  for  another  league  and  a  half  before  begging  them  not  to 
go  any  further  that  day. 

They  were  in  a  broad  valley,  through  which  a  river  had  flowed 
during  the  rainy  season.  Now  it  was  dried  up  to  a  little  brook  which 
they  could  step  over.  As  soon  as  the  tent  was  pitched,  Creps  and 
Donatus  went  to  the  wooded  part  of  the  valley  to  seek  for  game. 
After  looking  about  for  an  hour  they  lost  courage. 

"  Let  us  cease  these  useless  attempts,"  said  Creps.  "  Rest  is  as 
needful  as  food;  moreover,  it  is  getting  dark;  we  shan't  find  any 
game  if  there  is  any.  For  once  an  empty  stomach  won't  hinder  us 
from  sleeping." 

"  Nevertheless  I  mean  to  eat,"  said  Donatus.     w  A  hungry  horse 


THE    CORPSES. 


209 


will  eat  thistles.  I  have  seen  many  mustard  plants  round  the  tent. 
I  am  going  to  make  soup  of  them,  as  my  mother  used  to  do  for  our 
cow.  It  may  be  nasty  and  bitter;  I  don't  care.  Our  cow  didn't  die 
of  it;  perhaps  I  shall  thrive  on  it.  We'll  try  it,  at  all  events." 

He  gathered  an  armful  of  mustard-plants  and  put  them  on  to  the 
fire  in  the  saucepan  filled  with  water. 

When  it  boiled  he  began  to  eat,  inviting  his  companions  to  follow 
his  example.  It  was  so  nasty  that  they  could  only  swallow  a  mouth- 
ful. Donatus,  however,  devoured  the  whole,  rubbed  his  hands,  and 
said,  laughing,  — 

"  Certainly,  pork-chops  and  cabbage  would  be  better;  but  so  long 
as  a  ship  has  ballast  enough  it  matters  little  of  what  the  ballast 


consists." 


Overcome  by  fatigue,  they  all  three  soon  fell  asleep. 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  Donatus  was  awoke  by  a  piteous  groan. 
He  listened  anxiously;  it  came  from  Victor. 

"  Mr.  Roozeman,  what  is  the  matter?  are  you  ill?"  he  asked. 

"Give  me  drink!  drink!"  said  Victor;  "I  am  burning  with  fever. 
But  don't  make  any  noise;  don't  disturb  Creps'  rest." 

Kwik  put  his  water-bottle  to  his  lips.  When  he  had  taken  a  long 
draught  he  said,  — 

"  Sleep  now,  good  Donatus;  my  sufferings  are  relieved." 

"  How  your  forehead  burns !  You  are  shivering  and  trembling. 
Poor  Victor!  Oh,  that  I  had  the  fever  and  not  you!  " 

"  It  is  nothing,"  murmured  Roozeman :  w  the  excitement,  the  fright. 
Don't  be  anxious;  it  will  be  over  to-morrow.  Give  me  the  bottle.  If 
I  want  your  help  I  will  call  you." 

With  beating  heart  Donatus  listened  for  a  long  time;  but,  as 
Victor  was  quiet  and  his  breathing  seemed  natural,  he  soon  fell  sound 
asleep. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

DESPAIR. 

IT  was  broad  daylight  when  Creps  awoke.  He  saw  that  Rooze- 
•man,  too,  had  opened  his  eyes  already,  and  knowing  nothing  of 
the  severe  fever  which  he  had  suffered  during  the  night,  he 
rejoiced  at  his  apparent  good  health. 

Both  arose  and  went  out  of  the  tent,  with  the  firm  hope  of  finding 
Donatus  near  the  fire;  but  the  fire  was  out,  and  though  they  looked 
in  all  directions  they  could  see  nothing  of  their  companion.  They 
grew  very  anxious.  What  could  have  happened  to  him?  Had  he 
gone  out  in  the  night  to  fetch  water  and  been  devoured  by  a  wild 
beast?  Now  they  felt  how  great  was  the  worth  of  the  simple  peasant, 
who,  with  the  appearance  of  ignorance  and  indecision,  bore  in  his 
heart  a  treasure  of  strength  and  courage.  What  was  to  become  of 
them  without  his  help? 

For  a  few  moments  they  remained  crushed  beneath  the  terror  with 
which  such  a  loss  inspired  them.  Creps  fired  his  revolver  in  the  air 
as  a  sign  to  Kwik  if  he  were  within  hearing. 

Sounds  in  the  distance,  which  they  thought  they  recognized  as 
Kwik's  voice,  answered  to  the  shot.  They  looked  round  them;  but 
though  they  heard  the  voice  again  several  times  they  could  not  dis- 
cover whence  it  came. 

They  walked  towards  some  lofty  pines  and  cypresses  on  the  moun- 
tain side;  another  cry  made  them  look  up,  and  they  now  saw  their 
friend  in  the  top  of  one  of  the  highest  pines.  At  first  they  scarcely 
recognized  him,  for  at  three  hundred  feet  above  the  valley  he  did  not 
look  bigger  than  a  rabbit,  but  he  waved  his  hat  to  them. 

210 


DESPAIR.  2II 

Before  they  reached  the  foot  of  the  tree  he  came  running  to  meet 
them;  laughing,  jumping,  capering,  and  holding  something  in  his 
hands  whose  possession  seemed  to  fill  him  with  the  wildest  joy. 

"Oh!  a  breakfast!  a  nourishing  breakfast!  "  he  cried.  "We  shall 
have  quite  a  feast." 

And  he  displayed  to  them  a  bird's  nest,  in  which  were  six  eggs  a 
little  larger  than  pigeons'  eggs. 

"  Come,"  said  he,  "  come  to  the  fire.  This  will  do  us  good  and 
refresh  us.  I  have  just  climbed  such  a  high  tree  that  I  daren't  look 
down  from  it.  The  earth  turned  and  danced  round  me.  If  I  hadn't 
shut  my  eyes  I  shouldn't  have  been  hungry  any  more,  I  assure  you." 

They  told  him  how  his  absence  had  alarmed  them. 

"Ah!  I  never  thought  of  that,"  he  said;  "but  I  thank  you  for  your 
good  friendship.  The  mustard  plants  didn't  agree  with  me,  and  I 
couldn't  sleep.  I  was  up  before  daylight,  and  in  hopes  of  getting 
some  game  I  went  into  the  wood.  I  saw  nothing  but  two  large  birds 
flying  round  and  round  the  top  of  a  tree.  By  their  cries  I  knew  their 
nest  was  there;  so  up  I  climbed,  and  stayed  there  a  long  time,  hoping 
to  catch  the  father  and  mother,  or  both;  but  I  did  not  see  them 


ag-ain." 


The  eggs  were  soon  boiled  in  the  saucepan.  Kwik  said  the  eggs 
belonged  to  him,  and  he  would  divide  them  as  he  liked;  he  insisted 
on  Victor  taking  three,  and  Creps  two,  while  he  kept  one  for  himself. 

His  friends  would  not  accept  this  sacrifice;  but  he  was  firm. 

"  Come,  come,"  he  said,  "  don't  let  us  lose  any  more  time.  You 
can't  eat  green  meat  as  I  can.  The  mustard  plants  are  not  nice;  still 
they  are  satisfying;  so  if  I  were  now  to  eat  as  many  eggs  as  you  I 
should  be  doubly  nourished,  which  would  not  be  fair." 

His  comrades  at  last  consented  to  accept  the  eggs. 

Donatus  looked  anxiously  at  Victor's  face,  in  which  the  fever  had 
left  ill-omened  traces.  In  one  night  the  poor  young  man  seemed  to 
have  got  thinner,  and  his  cheeks  hollow  and  yellow,  and  his  eyes 
bloodshot. 


212  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

Though  inclined  to  be  silent,  Victor  answered  his  friends'  ques- 
tions as  cheerfully  as  he  could,  assuring  them  that  he  was  able  to 
continue  the  journey. 

They  had  walked  about  an  hour  across  mountains  and  valleys 
when  they  reached  a  wide  vale  covered  with  clumps  of  trees, 
small  thickets,  and  high  grass.  The  aspect  of  the  vegetation  here 
resembled  what  the  gold-seekers  had  seen  in  the  Sacramento  valley. 
They  were  cheered  by  their  hoping  that  they  had  taken  the  right 
direction,  and  had  descended  the  Sierra  Nevada,  on  the  side  of  the 
sea-shore. 

Victor  did  not  say  a  word;  he  was  extremely  tired,  and  accepted 
Donatus'  help  without  resistance,  who  held  him  with  so  much 
strength  that  he  sometimes  quite  lifted  him  from  the  ground.  Jan 
remarked  how  terribly  weak  his  unfortunate  companion  had  become; 
but  convinced  that  their  only  hope  of  safety  depended  on  the  rapidity 
of  their  march,  he  concealed  his  pity  and  anxiety  and  tried  to  inspire 
him  with  courage. 

Their  joy  was  greater  when  they  discovered  traces  of  human  foot- 
steps on  the  grass.  It  was  plain  that  quite  a  troop  of  travellers  had 
passed  along  there  but  shortly  before. 

They  implored  Victor  now  to  summon  up  all  his  strength.  They 
would  follow  these  footsteps  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  perhaps 
before  night  overtake  the  travellers  ahead  of  them.  They  walked  on 
for  a  couple  of  hours  more. 

As  they  were  turning  into  a  little  wooded  valley,  Donatus, 
who  walked  first,  started  back  with  a  cry  of  terror,  and  stuttered 
out:  — 

"A  man!  I  have  seen  a  man!  He  is  there  against  a  tree,  straight 
before  us!  He  is  half  naked!  I  believe  it  is  a  savage!  What  shall 
we  do?" 

"  Stay  here  behind  the  shrubs  and  hide  yourselves,"  said  Creps ; 
"  I'll  go  and  see  what  it  is!  " 


DESPAIR. 

Cautiously  Creps  moved  along  the  ground  up  to  the  edge  of  the 
wood.  After  a  few  minutes  he  returned  to  his  companions,  and 
said,  — 

"It's  horrible!  The  man  you  saw  is  dead;  he  seems  bound  to 
the  tree.  Come,  let  us  go  nearer!  " 

Kwik  was  in  no  great  hurry.     He  followed  slowly. 

Silent  and  trembling,  they  gazed  on  the  corpse,  which  the  numer- 
ous wounds  with  which  it  was  covered  made  it  impossible  to  recog- 
nize. 

"How  that  poor  man  must  have  suffered!  "  said  Creps. 

"Shall  we  dig  a  grave  for  the  unhappy  man?"  asked  Victor. 

"  Dare  I  believe  my  eyes  ?  "  cried  Creps.  "  What  we  see  here  is 
the  justice  of  God!  This  corpse  is  the  sailor!  " 

"Impossible!     You  make  a  mistake!  "  stuttered  Kwik. 

"No!  look!  the  little  finger  is  wanting  on  the  left  hand!" 

"Who  has  done  it?  "  cried  Donatus. 

*  Who  ?  the  Californian  savages,  of  course !     God  has  chosen  thus 
-  to  avenge  Pardoes'  murder!  " 

Donatus  could  not  listen  to  another  word.  He  seized  Creps  by  the 
arm,  and  murmured,  "I  have  had  enough  of  this  terrible  spectacle! 
Come  away!  We  are  in  a  den  of  savages.  Come,  or  I  shall  run 
away  alone  as  fast  as  my  legs  can  carry  me." 

The  others  were  obliged  to  follow  him.  After  walking  on  for 
some  time,  Victor  implored  for  a  rest. 

*  What  a  terrible  punishment!     What  a  horrible  death!"  sighed 
Creps. 

"He  was  a  cowardly  vagabond,"  said  Kwik;  "but  such  a  fate 
seems  hard  even  for  him.  Do  these  savages  treat  people  thus  for 
their  pleasure?  " 

"  It's  their  custom,  as  we've  been  told,  to  bind  their  prisoners  to  a 
tree,  and  make  them  the  mark  at  which  they  shoot  their  arrows.  God 
knows  how  many  hours  this  sailor  heard  these  arrows  whistling  about 
his  ears  before  he  died!  What  a  horrible  end!  " 


214  THE    BOYS    OF   THE    SIERRAS. 

"  And  what  can  have  become  of  our  gold  ?  "  said  Donatus. 

"The  Californian  savages  know  the  value  of  gold.  You  see  they 
have  taken  everything  from  their  victim,  even  his  clothes." 

"Pleasant,  indeed!"  growled  Kwik.  ''We  have  dived  into  an 
icy  pool  which  a  white  bear  might  have  been  afraid  off;  we  have 
risked  our  lives  for  a  little  gold;  and  why?  To  enrich  these  savage 
monsters! " 

Creps  took  up  his  knapsack  again.  Donatus  followed  his  example, 
offering  his  arm  as  before  to  Victor. 

On  leaving  the  forest  they  saw  before  them  an  extensive  plain, 
with  a  few  patches  of  green  on  its  rocky  soil,  but  no  trace  of  a  tree. 
Kwik,  still  fearing  the  savages,  hesitated  to  risk  himself  in  the  open 
space,  where  they  could  be  seen  afar  off  and  from  all  sides;  but 
Creps  would  not  diverge  from  the  direction  he  had  decided  to  take, 
so  they  continued  their  march. 

The  sun  was  scorching,  and  the  air  stifling.  Every  quarter  of  an 
hour  they  had  to  stop  to  let  Victor  rest  —  they  perceived  how  ex- 
hausted he  was,  and  that  his  legs  had  scarcely  strength  to  carry  him. 
They  could  not  remain  where  they  now  were,  for  there  was  neither 
wood  nor  water,  and  so  no  hope  of  finding  anything  to  eat.  About 
half  a  league  before  them  they  saw  a  thick  wood.  If  they  could 
reach  it  they  would  pitch  their  tent  there  and  rest  till  the  morrow. 
They  encouraged  their  poor  friend,  supporting  him  on  both  sides, 
thus  dragging  him  slowly  along,  weak  and  worn  out  as  they  were 
themselves. 

Suddenly  they  felt  how  heavily  Victor  weighed  upon  their  arms; 
they  stopped  and  asked  him  if  he  felt  ill.  He  had  not  strength  to 
reply.  His  head  fell  on  his  breast,  his  arms  hung  motionless  at 
his  side. 

His  companions  laid  him  on  the  ground,  and  with  his  head  in  their 
arms,  they  moistened  his  forehead  and  lips  with  water. 

Victor   lay  before   them  in  a  faint,  pale  as  a  corpse.     Notwith- 


CREPS   CREEPING    ALONG   THE   GROUND. 


DESPAIR.  217 

standing  all  their  efforts  to  revive  him  he  remained  motionless,  as  if 
he  could  never  awake  from  this  deathlike  slumber. 

Donatus  threw  himself  on  his  friend,  and  appeared  so  distracted 
that  Creps  did  not  feel  less  pity  for  him  than  for  Victor. 

A  cry  of  joy  arose  from  the  poor  fellow's  heart  when  at  last  he 
saw  Roozeman  open  his  eyes;  he  lifted  up  his  hands,  and  ex- 
claimed, — 

"Oh,  thanks!  thanks,  most  merciful  God!  Do  unto  me  as  thou 
wilt;  heap  any  sufferings  upon  me;  but  he  has  a  mother!  Oh,  let 
him  live!" 

After  gazing  at  his  companions  for  a  few  moments,  like  a  man 
awaking  from  a  deep  sleep,  Victor  tried  to  calm  them.  He  said  he 
had  had  an  ordinary  fainting  fit.  He  was  extremely  tired  and  ex- 
hausted, but  there  was  nothing  else  the  matter  with  him.  Creps  and 
Kwik  did  not  believe  him  at  first,  but  when  they  saw  him  smile  their 
fear  decreased. 

They  were  very  near  the  wood;  so  their  tent  was  soon  pitched, 
and  Kwik  announced  that  he  meant  to  spend  the  rest  of  the  day  look- 
ing for  food.  Commending  Victor  to  Creps'  care,  he  disappeared 
among  the  trees. 

In  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  Roozeman  showed  a  strong 
desire  to  sleep.  Creps  threw  his  own  blanket  on  the  ground,  and  ar- 
ranged a  sort  of  bed  for  him  as  well  as  he  could.  In  a  few  minutes 
Victor  was  in  a  deep  slumber. 

Creps  sat  near  the  fire,  his  head  on  his  hands,  weighed  down  by 
the  saddest  thoughts.  It  was  nearly  dark  when  Kwik  returned  with 
an  armful  of  mustard  plants.  He  had  been  only  able  to  shoot  two 
little  birds;  but  this  small  success  pleased  him,  for  it  would  serve  at 
least  as  a  meal  for  poor  Victor. 

The  birds  were  roasted  at  once,  and  they  awoke  Roozeman  to  offer 
him  the  inviting  food.  He  replied  in  a  very  weak  voice  that  he  was 
not  hungry  —  that  all  he  wanted  was  to  sleep  quietly.  They  must 
keep  the  birds  for  to-morrow's  breakfast. 


2l8  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

They  returned  to  the  fire.  Creps  did  not  seem  to  hear  what  Dona- 
tus  said  to  him  as  he  boiled  the  mustard  plants  in  the  saucepan. 

However,  he  partook  of  some  of  the  food;  but  they  were  both 
soon  disgusted  w7ith  it.  Even  Donatus  could  not  digest  it. 

After    a    long    silence,  Kwik    asked    his  gloomy  companion    anx- 
iously, — 

"  Mr.  Jan,  you  are  quite  different  from  usual.  Are  you  really 
afraid  that  our  poor  friend  will  die  in  this  wilderness?" 

"What  assurance  have  we  that  any  of  us  will  leave  it  alive?"  he 
replied  sadly.  "  Our  fate  is  terrible,  but  we  have  deserved  it.  It  is  a 
punishment  for  our  folly  and  ingratitude  to  God.  We  lived  in  a  free 
and  happy  land.  We  had  parents,  friends;  we  were  not  even  poor. 
Yet  we  despised  all  these  bounties  of  Providence  —  insane  as  we  were, 
renounced  them  all  —  you  for  gold,  I  for  independence!  You  have 
gold  now;  can  it  restore  strength  to  our  poor  friend?  Can  it  prevent 
us  from  dying  of  hunger?  I  am  free  and  independent  —  yes,  like  a 
wild  beast  who  has  all  nature  for  his  enemy,  who  feeds  on  plants,  and 
is  devoured  by  animals  of  his  own  species.  Our  folly  has  led  us  into 
this  misery  and  ingratitude  to  God." 

Donatus  took  Creps  by  the  hand,  and  said  calmly, — 

"  Come,  come,  Mr.  Jan,  don't  lose  courage.  Very  likely  our  ter- 
rible fate  is  a  just  punishment  from  heaven.  But  look,  our  friend  is 
sleeping  quietly  now;  perhaps  he  will  be  better  to-morrow.  With 
the  exception  of  his  illness  I  don't  think  we  have  so  much  to  complain 
of.  We  haven't  yet  met  with  any  wild  beasts,  bushrangers,  or  sav- 
ages. For  this  I  think  we  ought  to  thank  God.  Come,  Mr.  Jan,  I 
know  it  is  only  Victor's  sickness  which  makes  you  so  sad;  but  take 
courage,  he  will  get  well,  I  tell  you.  As  long  as  there's  life  there's 
hope;  but  we  must  bear  our  lot  to  the  end." 

Jan  remained  silent  for  a  few  moments;  then  he  got  up,  and 
said, — 

"  Go  and  lie  down,  Donatus;  I  will  watch  and  attend  to  our  friend 


DESPAIR. 


2I9 


if  he  requires  anything.  In  a  couple  of  hours  I  will  wake  you,  and 
you  shall  take  your  turn." 

:c  You  alarm  me,"  cried  Kwik;  "  do  you  think  then  that  Mr.  Victor 
is  dangerously  ill." 

rf  No,  but  he  must  not  be  left  without  being  watched.  Go  to  rest, 
I  pray  you." 

Victor  had  only  slept  a  couple  of  hours;  then  a  burning  fever 
had  shown  itself,  which  seemed  as  if  it  would  consume  the  poor 
young  man.  His  head  was  burning,  his  breath  weak  —  he  was 
quite  unconscious.  The  only  word  he  could  articulate  was,  "Drink! 
drink!" 

Creps  and  Donatus  sat  beside  him  in  the  tent,  a  bottle  in  their 
hands.  Towards  midnight  the  fever  seemed  to  decrease  a  little,  and 
their  hopes  revived;  but  it  was  not  for  long;  the  fever  soon  returned 
with  redoubled  violence.  By-and-by  he  began  to  talk  wildly  about 
Belgium,  his  beloved  mother,  and  Lucia.  He  thanked  God  for  bring- 
ing him  back  a  happy  millionaire  to  his  native  land. 

Each  of  these  words  cut  his  friends  to  the  heart. 

For  a  long  time  he  continued  thus  talking,  till  his  voice  grew 
weaker  and  weaker,  and  he  sank  at  last  into  a  peaceful  sleep. 

"Ah!  the  terrible  fever  has  ceased, '  exclaimed  Donatus;  "there 
is  some  hope,  Mr.  Jan,  some  hope!  " 

"  Hope!  "  murmured  Creps.  "And  if  he  did  recover  it  would  be 
of  no  use!  Oh,  what  will  become  of  us?  I  am  tormented  with 
hunger." 

Donatus  took  up  something  in  the  darkness,  and  said,  "Come! 
come!  eat  this!  " 

"What,  the  birds?  his  food?  "  cried  Jan.     "  I  would  rather  die." 

"Eat,  I  tell  you;  I  will  go  into  the  wood;  yes,  I  will  find  some- 
thing else,  even  if  I  have  to  burrow  into  the  ground.  It  isn't  quite 


220  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

dark  outside.     Come,  take  the  birds  or  I  will  run  away,  and  you 
never  will  see  me  again." 

"  Hunger  is  a  cruel  tyrant!  "  groaned  Creps,.  "But  you  must  eat 
one  of  the  birds,  too." 

w  I  ?  "  cried  Donatus.  w  I  didn't  pretend  I'm  not  hungry,  but  I  can 
wait  some  hours  longer.  Watch  beside  Victor.  Possibly  I  shan't  be 
back  till  dawn.  This  time  I  won't  stop  my  hunt  till  I  have  game 
enough  to  provide  us  with  a  plentiful  dinner.  Farewell !  " 

With  these  words  he  disappeared. 

Victor  appeared  asleep  and  did  not  move.  Creps  sat  beside  him 
till  daylight  entered  the  tent.  He  had  eaten  one  of  the  birds,  and  put 
the  other  aside  in  his  knapsack.  He  looked  at  it  often  with  eager 
eyes,  scarcely  being  able  to  resist  the  temptation  of  taking  that,  too; 
but  the  idea  that  Donatus  might  return  with  empty  hands,  and  that 
Victor  on  awaking  might  ask  for  a  mouthful  of  food,  prevented  his 
touching  it. 

The  sun  had  risen  when  Kwik  appeared  and  asked  anxiously  how 
Victor  was.  He  had  been  disappointed  in  his  hope  of  game,  but  he 
brought  back  enough  to  keep  them  from  starvation  for  half  a  day.  In 
one  hand  he  held  an  animal  like  a  rat,  in  the  other  a  bird  like  a  crow. 

No  sooner  were  these  animals  cooked  than  they  were  devoured 
with  a  ferocious  appetite.  They  kept,  however,  the  best  and  tenderest 
parts  for  Victor. 

rr  This  meal  has  restored  me  my  reason  and  courage,"  said  Creps. 
Yes,  there  is  still  some  hope  of  deliverance.  We  must  start,  and 
walk  on  till  we  get  out  of  the  desert.  We  must  carry  Victor  and  rest 
very  often." 

Just  then  they  saw  Victor  standing  up  in  the  tent  resting  on  the 
pole  which  supported  it,  and  looking  at  them  with  a  quiet  smile. 

Their  pleasure  was  of  short  duration.  When  poor  Roozeman 
wished  to  take  a  step  forward  his  legs  gave  way  beneath  him,  and  he 
fell  back  heavily  on  the  ground.  The  others  ran  to  him,  took  him  in 


)ONATUS  KWIK  WITH  ALL  THE  GAME  HE  COULD  PROCURE. 


DELIVERANCE. 


223 


their  arms,  addressing  him  in  kind  words  of  encouragement  and  com- 
fort. They  trembled  with  alarm;  Victor's  face  was  pale  as  death. 
He  took  his  companions'  hands,  and  said,  in  a  weak  but  clear  voice, — 
"  My  good  friends,  listen  to  me,  I  have  one  prayer  to  make  to  you, 
a  last  kind  act  to  implore  of  your  friendship.  Promise  me  you  will 


consent." 


"Everything,  even  to  our  lives,"  they  both  replied. 

"Look  at  me,  my  life  is  near  its  end.  Nature  within  me  may 
struggle  for  hours,  perhaps  for  another  day,  against  death;  but  I  shall 
never  see  the  Sacramento  valley  again." 

Donatus  wished  to  close  his  mouth,  the  tears  poured  down  Creps' 
face. 

"  No,  listen.  I  can  scarcely  speak,"  he  went  on.  :f  You  are  wrong, 
friends,  your  love  can  help  me  but  little.  I  am  only  a  hinderance  to 
you.  In  wishing  to  save  me  you  sacrifice  yourselves.  Oh!  I  implore 
you,  don't  leave  me  to  die  with  the  terrible  conviction  that  I  am  the 
cause  of  your  deaths.  Leave  me  to  my  fate ;  fly  from  this  wilderness, 
and  save  your  precious  lives." 

His  friends  declared  that  they  would  perish  together  or  escape 
with  him  from  the  terrible  fate  which  threatened  them,  but  he  con- 
tinued as  if  he  had  not  understood  them,  — 

*  You  love  me,  I  know;  but  do  you  doubt  of  my  love  for  you? 
Why  should  there  be  three  victims  when  fate  only  asks  for  one  ?  Be 
reasonable.  Return  to  your  fatherland;  take  to  my  mother  my  last 
farewell;  tell  her  —  tell  Lucia  —  that  I  died  with  their  beloved  names 
on  my  lips,  that  my  last  sigh  was  a  prayer  for  their  welfare." 

Creps  and  Kwik,  in  their  despair,  knelt  in  silence  beside  their  sick 
friend. 

Suddenly  Donatus  arose,  seized  the  lasso  and  the  axe,  and  said  to 
Creps,  — 

"Ah!  it  isn't  with  tears  that  we  conquer  misfortune;  remain  with 
Victor,  try  and  comfort  him;  I  will  seek  a  way  of  saving  him." 


224  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

Half  an  hour  after  he  returned  with  something  which  resembled  a 
ladder  on  his  back.  It  consisted  of  two  long,  straight  branches  of  a 
tree,  connected  together  by  several  cords  of  the  lasso,  over  which 
smaller  and  more  flexible  branches  were  placed.  Taking  it  from  his 
shoulder,  he  said, — 

"  Here  is  the  way.  This  is  a  litter.  Over  it  we  will  stretch  the 
sail  of  our  tent,  and  make  a  pillow  of  our  blankets.  Yes,  Mr.  Victor, 
you  can't  refuse,  you  are  not  the  master.  We  will  try  and  carry  you 
out  of  this  desert,  and  you  shall  be  with  us  so  long  as  your  heart 
continues  to  beat.  Come,  Jan,  every  minute  is  precious  to  us. 
Forwards !  forwards !  " 

Notwithstanding  his  protestations  Victor  was  placed  on  the  litter. 
The  least  shake  seemed  to  cause  him  pain,  but  his  friends  were  not 
kept  back  by  this,  and  they  crossed  the  forest  as  if  they  were  being 
pursued  by  slave-drivers. 

Every  time  that  his  friends  stopped  to  rest  did  Victor  implore 
them,  with  clasped  hands,  to  save  themselves  and  abandon  him.  He 
said  that  the  litter  caused  him  unbearable  pain.  After  they  had 
advanced  some  two  leagues,  and  with  much  difficulty  had  reached  a 
wide  plain,  the  poor  fellow  groaned. 

w  Ah!  you  torture  me  pitilessly.     Stop,  stop,  or  I  shall  die!" 

They  put  down  the  litter.     Victor  continued, — 

*  Take  me  off  it!     I  can  go  no  further!     Oh,  friends,  don't  be  so 
cruel,  let  me  die  in  peace." 

Creps  uttered  a  cry  of  despair,  and  said,  — 

*  We  are  powerless!     God  wills  it,  this  desert  must  be  our  grave! 
Well,  let  us  die  together  here." 

Suddenly  Donatus  sprang  up. 

"What  is  it?     What  do  you  hear?"  asked  Creps. 
"Silence,  silence,  all!     I  am  not  wrong;  listen  down  there  a  long 
way  off — yes,  mules'  bells!     Oh,  God  be  praised!   deliverance!  " 
And  quick  as  an  arrow  Donatus  disappeared  from  his  friends'  sight. 


DELIVERANCE. 


225 


Turning  his  steps  in  the  direction  of  the  bells,  he  saw  in  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  a  troop  of  at  least  fifty  mules,  forming  with  their 
muleteers  a  long  chain.  When  he  reached  the  head  of  the  troop  he 
fell  down  on  his  knees  with  uplifted  arms,  and  in  a  supplicating  voice 
invoked  the  aid  of  the  amazed  muleteers.  Though  he  tried  to  explain 
his  distress  in  four  or  five  languages  no  one  understood  a  word. 
They  took  him  for  a  madman.  Some  pitied,  others  laughed  at  him. 

They  formed  a  circle  round  him.  With  all  sorts  of  gestures  the 
poor  fellow  tried  to  make  them  understand  his  meaning. 

Suddenly  a  young  man,  who  walked  lame,  came  towards  him, 
looked  at  him  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  pressed  him  in  his  arms. 

Oh,  what  happiness!"  cried  Donatus.  "John  Miller,  the  English- 
man! God  himself  has  sent  you.  He  who  once  saved  your  life, 
Victor  Roozeman,  is  at  the  point  of  death,  beyond  yonder  hillock. 
Come,  come!  return  his  good  deed.  Perhaps  you  will  yet  be  able  to 
save  him." 

John  Miller  called  an  old  muleteer,  exchanged  a  few  words  with 
him,  gave  some  orders  to  those  around  him,  and  then  hurried  across 
the  plain  with  Kwik.  All  the  mules  followed. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  hillock  Kwik  shouted  out 
with  all  his  might, — 

"Hurrah!  hurrah!  God  is  almighty!  Here  is  help!  here  is 
deliverance!  Our  friend,  John  Miller!" 

After  shaking  Creps  warmly  by  the  hand,  the  Englishman  bent 
over  the  poor  sick  man,  trying  to  rouse  in  his  heart  the  hope  of  re- 
covery. In  their  party  was  an  old  Mexican,  who  knew  well  all  the 
sicknesses  of  California,  and  the  remedies  used  to  cure  them. 

This  Mexican  already  stood  beside  them,  with  some  ten  others, 
and  three  or  four  mules. 

"Well,  Pablo,"  said  John  Miller,  "examine  this  young  man.  If 
you  succeed  in  saving  him  I  will  give  you  a  hundred  piastres." 

Pablo  for  some  minutes  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  invalid. 


226  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

"Strange!"  he  muttered,  shaking  his  head.  "I  don't  understand 
it.  Perhaps  that  gentleman  who  speaks  English  will  tell  me  how  his 
companion  fell  ill,  and  how  long  he  has  been  in  that  state?  " 

Creps  told  him  of  all  their  misery,  of  their  hard  labor,  and  their 
dives  into  the  icy  pool. 

At  hearing  this  the  Mexican  exclaimed, — 

"  I  have  it!     I  will  cure  him!  " 

The  Mexican  began  by  spreading  on  the  ground  near  Victor  four 
or  five  blankets,  one  above  the  other,  so  as  to  keep  out  the  cold  of  the 
ground.  On  this  they  placed  him,  covering  him  with  so  many  others 
that  they  threatened  to  stifle  him.  Then  they  brought  hot  wine  in  a 
tin  bowl.  Old  Pablo  poured  into  it  a  powder  which  he  called  Ex- 
tracto  de  la  quina,  and  put  a  spoonful  of  the  hot  liquid  to  Victor's 
lips,  whom  he  forced  to  take  a  great  quantity  of  it.  Creps  and 
Donatus  joined  their  prayers  to  his  efforts;  at  last  the  Mexican  ex- 
claimed with  joy,  — 

:t  Very  good!  all  right!  leave  me  alone  with  him  now.  Go  away 
a  little;  I  shall  win  my  money;  he  will  recover." 

Meanwhile  the  muleteers  had  unloaded  their  beasts.  Some  were 
putting  up  the  tents,  others  were  making  a  large  fire  and  preparing 
the  dinner.  They  had  heard  of  the  starving  condition  of  the  poor 
Flemings,  and  they  now  invited  them  to  have  a  good  meal. 

All  Kwik's  gay ety  had  now  returned;  he  ate  so  fast  and  plentifully, 
making  such  curious  gestures  all  the  time,  that  the  muleteers  could 
not  help  laughing  at  him.  There  seemed  to  be  no  end  to  his 
appetite. 

While  the  party  were  watching  him  in  amazement,  he  suddenly 
jumped  up  and  began  to  cut  a  number  of  merry  capers,  saying,  — 

w  It's  worth  being  well-nigh  starved  to  be  able  afterwards  to  enjoy 
such  a  meal  as  that.  I  feel  after  this  that  I  could  carry  a  mule  on  my 
back.  But  I  must  go  and  see  if  our  invalid  is  not  better." 

Victor  seemed  to  sleep;  his  face  was  red,  the  perspiration  streamed 


THE  MEXICAN   PREPARING  A  DRAUGHT   ±-OR  VICTOR. 


DELIVERANCE. 


229 


down  his  forehead,  his  bed  steamed  as  if  he  were  placed  over  a  vapor- 
bath.  The  Mexican  was  seated  by  his  side  between  Creps  and 
Miller. 

Victor  remained  for  nearly  three  hours  in  the  same  state.  After 
placing  his  hand  on  his  heart,  the  Mexican  got  up  and  said,  — 

"He  is  saved!  I  have  won  my  hundred  piastres!  He  will  re- 
cover. He  will  be  very  weak  for  some  time.  In  about  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  he  will  be  cooler;  he  will  awaken;  then  bring  him  a  little 
flour  boiled  in  water! " 

By-and-by  the  invalid  opened  his  eyes  and  gazed  around  him  with 
wonder,  and  muttered, — 

"  Give  me  something  to  eat.     Oh!  I  am  fainting  with  hunger." 

Creps  thanked  God  in  a  loud  voice.     Donatus  cried,  — 

"Hold  me!  bind  me!  I  am  half  mad!  Oh!  dear  old  Mexican, 
let  me  embrace  you!  " 

They  now  brought  the  plate  with  the  boiled  flour  for  the  invalid. 
Though  he  begged  for  more,  the  Mexican  would  only  allow  him  a  few 
spoonfuls,  promising  him  that  in  an  hour  he  should  have  some  more, 
and  a  little  piece  of  meat. 

Victor  informed  his  friends  with  joy  that  he  only  suffered  now  from 
fatigue;  he  felt  neither  pain  nor  sickness.  Meanwhile,  some  men  of 
the  party  were  arranging  a  sort  of  easy  seat  on  a  mule's  back.  The 
invalid  was  now  taken  up,  wrapped  up  in  the  warmest  clothes,  and 
put  on  the  mule. 

Creps  and  Kwik  walked  on  each  side  of  Victor,  encouraging  him 
5  as  they  talked  to  him  of  their  beloved  country. 

Before  nightfall  Victor  had  eaten  twice.  He  was  no  longer  ill, 
and  enjoyed  that  night  a  refreshing  slumber.  Some  days  later  they 
reached  the  little  town  of  Sacramento.  John  Miller  lodged  his  friends 
in  the  best  hotel,  and  did  not  let  them  spend  a  single  dollar.  He 
charged  the  muleteers,  who  were  to  return  to  the  diggings  on  the 
Pen  river,  with  a  letter  for  his  father,  in  which  he  told  him  how  he 


230  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

had    found   the    Flemish  gold-seekers,  his   preservers,  and   that   he 
would  remain  for  some  days  at  Sacramento  to  watch  over  them. 

As  soon  as  Victor  felt  himself  strong  enough  to  undertake  a  fresh 
journey,  he  urged  their  departure  for  San  Francisco.  Creps  and 
Donatus  were  not  less  eager  for  the  moment  when  they  should  be 
able  to  bid  farewell  to  the  shores  of  California,  and  set  sail  for  their 
native  country.  John  Miller  conducted  them  to  the  steamboat, 
which  twice  a-week  made  the  voyage  between  the  two  capitals  of 
Northern  California. 

When  they  arrived  at  San  Francisco  they  went  directly  to  the 
harbor,  and  inquired  if  there  was  any  ship  about  to  sail  for  Europe. 
They  met  an  English  captain  who  was  going  to  start  in  a  week  for 
London,  and  who  consented  to  take  them  at  a  reasonable  price. 

John  Miller  wished  to  pay  their  fare,  and  assured  them  that  his 
father  would  be  very  much  annoyed  if  he  did  not  give  this  slight 
proof  of  gratitude  to  those  who  had  preserved  his  only  son's  life. 

Creps  and  Roozeman  refused  this  last  kindness,  because  the  three 
pounds  of  gold  which  Kwik  carried  in  his  breast  would  be  more  than 
enough.  Upon  the  earnest  entreaties  of  their  generous  protector  they 
at  last  consented,  on  the  condition  that  Kwik  kept  the  gold  he  had  as 
his  own  personal  property.  What  they  might  spend  in  London  to 
dress  themselves  suitably  should  be  only  a  loan,  and  they  would  re- 
turn it  to  their  comrade  after  their  arrival  in  Belgium. 

When  this  was  settled  Kwik  secretly  rejoiced  at  an  arrangement 
which  put  him  in  possession  of  more  than  three  thousand  francs, 
without  his  friends  having  lost  anything  thereby.  At  the  sight  of 
such  a  sum  the  police-officer  might  perhaps  grant  him  the  hand  of 
his  Anneken. 

Victor  employed  the  week  which  they  spent  at  San  Francisco  in 
writing  a  short  and  faithful  account  of  their  adventures  in  California. 
He  added  a  letter  to  his  mother,  in  which  he  told  her  that  he  and  his 
friends  would  stop  two  or  three  days  in  London  to  provide  themselves 


DELIVERANCE. 


231 


with  fresh  linen  and  clothes,  and  from  thence  he  would  inform  her  of 
the  exact  hour  of  their   arrival  in  their  native  city.     Creps  wrote  a 

•    letter  to  his  father,  and  Donatus  scribbled  a  few  lines  to  Anneken  and 
to  her  father. 

On  the  appointed  day,  when  the  ship  weighed  anchor  and  the  sails 
swelled  with  a  fair  wind,  they  took  an  affectionate  farewell  of  their 
generous  friend,  John  Miller.  Favored  by  wind  and  tide,  the  vessel 
rapidly  passed  through  the  Golden  Gate,  and  the  Flemish  friends 
raised  their  loud  hurrahs  over  the  ocean,  whose  waters  also  bathed 
the  shores  of  their  beloved  Belgium. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

THE    RETURN. 

THE  steamboat,  the  Soho,  performing  the  service  between  Lon- 
don and  Antwerp,  was  going  up  the  Scheldt  as  usual.  Pas- 
sengers stood  on  the  deck  eagerly  gazing  towards  the  city. 
Their  attention  was  more  than  once  diverted  by  the  extraordinary 
delight  of  three  young  men,  with  faces  bronzed  by  the  sun,  who  stood 
near  the  bows. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  they  were  our  old  friends,  Donatus  Kwik, 
Jan  Creps,  and  Victor  Roozeman. 

The  steamer  had  approached  the  city,  and  Donatus'  noisy  joking 
was  interrupted  by  a  cry  of  joy  from  Victor,  who  exclaimed,  quite 
beside  himself, — 

"There!  there!  my  mother,  Lucia,  and  her  uncle!  " 

"And  my  old  father!"  cried  Creps.  :fThey  see  us;  they  are 
making  signs  to  us;  they  are  waving  their  handkerchiefs;  the  Captain 
is  calling  out  his  welcome  to  us,  making  a  speaking-trumpet  of  his 
hands." 

The  young  men  waved  their  hats,  sending  back  a  loud  hurrah  to 
the  quay.  They  were  wild  with  joy. 

Amid  these  gestures  of  delight  the  steamer  touched  the  quay.  As 
soon  as  it  was  possible  to  land,  Mrs.  Roozeman  was  in  the  arms  of 
her  beloved  son,  who  pressed  her  to  his  heart.  With  equal  affection 
Creps  embraced  his  old  father.  Kwik  said  nothing,  but  he  sympa- 
thized in  his  friends'  happiness. 

Lucia  stood  trembling  as  she  waited  for  Victor's  greeting.  The 
232 


THE    RETURN. 


233 


young  man  stammered  an  excuse  in  his  mother's  ear,  and  hastened 
towards  her. 

"Lucia!  my  good  Lucia!  "  cried  Victor.  "Thanks!  thanks!  you 
have  not  forgotten  me.  I  have  suffered  so  much;  death  has  stared 
me  in  the  face;  but  what  are  all  these  pangs  and  sorrows  now  that  I 
have  the  happiness  of  seeing  you  again?" 

The  girl  spoke  some  hardly  intelligible  words  of  joy;  then,  as  if 
glad  to  find  a  pretext  to  change  the  subject,  she  exclaimed, — 

:r  Victor,  where  is  the  good  Donatus?  Next  to  God  it  is  to  him 
that  we  owe  your  preservation." 

"  Here  is  my  deliverer! "  replied  Victor. 

Lucia  grasped  the  honest  fellow's  hand  with  the  warmest  gratitude. 
Victor's  mother,  the  Captain,  and  Crep's  father,  also  heartily  shook 
him  by  the  hand.  The  young  man  was  quite  overcome,  but  he 
managed  to  say  that  he  did  not  deserve  these  marks  of  kindness;  that 
indeed  Mr.  Victor  had  really  helped  and  protected  him  during  the 
journey. 

The  happy  party  left  the  steamer  to  go  to  their  own  home. 

When  Kwik  saw  his  friends  turn  down  a  side-street,  he  pressed 
Victor's  hand,  and  said, — 

"Now,  Mr.  Victor,  good-by;  yonder  is  my  road." 

"What  do  you  mean,  Donatus?     Where  are  you  going?" 

"  Can  you  ask?     To  Natten-Haesdonck." 

"  No,  good  Donatus,  come  with  us,"  said  Roozeman's  mother. 
"We  have  prepared  a  good  dinner  to  celebrate  Jan  and  Victor's 
return.  You,  their  best  friend,  must  not  be  absent  from  the  feast. 
Stay  and  sleep  at  our  house;  to-morrow  morning  you  can  start 
early." 

"Impossible,  ma'am!"  said  Kwik  sadly.  "I  shan't  have  a  mo- 
ment's rest  till  I  know  at  least  whether  she  is  still  alive — she  for 
whose  sake  I  went  to  that  horrible  country  —  California." 

"  Anneken  of  Natten-Haesdonck  ?     She  lives !  " 


234  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

"  Ah !  you  know  her,  ma'am  ?  " 

"  Certainly.  Since  I  received  Victor's  first  letter  I  have  been  four 
times  to  her  father's  house." 

"  Is  she  married,  ma'am  ?  " 

"No,  not  yet." 

"God  be  praised!"  cried  Kwik;  "what  a  weight  is  taken  off  my 
heart!" 

"She  has  been  ill,  the  good  girl,"  said  Lucia;  "but  now  she  is 
well  again." 

"Ill,  miss?  dangerously  ill?" 

"  Rather  so,  Mr.  Donatus.  She  is  always  thinking  of  you,  and  is 
very  sad.  Her  father  wishes  to  marry  her  to  the  blacksmith's  eldest 


son." 


"And  she  has  refused  out  of  love  for  her  poor  Donatus!"  cried 
Kwik.  "Thanks!  ihanks  to  the  brave  girl!  " 

Victor's  mother  sighed, 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that  sad  sigh?"  cried  Donatus. 

"Nothing,  good  friend;  only  this  policeman  is  a  very  obstinate 
man,  and  it  is  by  no  means  certain  that  he  will  give  you  a  friendly 
welcome  at  first;  but  don't  lose  courage." 

Kwik  looked  thoughtful.     He  muttered, — 

"Ah,  indeed!  the  blacksmith's  son!  He  is  a  famous  fellow;  his 
father  has  money.  Alas!  alas!  " 

Lucia  took  him  by  the  arm,  and  tried  to  restore  his  hope  and  con- 
fidence. They  had  reached  Mrs.  Roozeman's  dwelling;  they  passed 
through  the  shop  into  a  large  room,  where  quite  a  feast  was  pre- 
pared. 

Mrs.  Roozeman  sat  between  her  son  and  Donatus,  the  Captain  and 
his  niece  opposite,  Creps  and  his  father  on  either  side.  All  did  full 
justice  to  the  repast.  A  hundred  questions  were  put  to  the  travellers 
about  their  adventures. 

Victor,  as  he  gazed  on  Lucia,  was  now  and  then  troubled  by  an 


THE    RETURN. 


235 


anxious  thought.  He  had  come  back  without  a  fortune,  without  gold. 
The  Captain  would  without  doubt  hold  to  his  first  conditions,  so  that 
Victor  would  have  to  begin  his  long  probation  again,  and  the  dearest 
wish  of  his  heart  could  not  be  realized  until  he  was  independent. 
However,  he  tried  to  drive  away  those  gloomy  thoughts,  and  give 
himself  up  to  the  joy  which  filled  all  around  him. 

Jan  Creps  replied  seriously  to  a  remark  of  his  father:  — 

w  Listen,  good  father.  I  have  returned  poorer  than  when  I  started. 
This  voyage,  however,  has  taught  me  that  one  ought  not  to  run  after 
fortune  in  foreign  lands,  and  that  our  own  dear  country  offers  enough 
happiness  to  him  who  tries  to  obtain  it  by  work  and  industry.  The 
folly  of  youth  has  now  passed  away.  I  shall  look  out  for  a  fresh  post 
in  an  office.  The  desk  shall  no  longer  weary  me.  Be  certain  of  this, 
you  will  have  no  fault  to  find  with  me." 

His  father  did  not  seem  to  think  much  of  these  fine  promises,  and 
replied  with  a  smile,  that  they  would  settle  that  business  later. 

At  dessert  Captain  Moreels  said  that  he  wished  to  propose  a  toast; 
and  he  spoke  as  follows, — 

w  My  young  friend  Roozeman,  I  was  the  cause  of  your  departure 
to  California.  I  have  attained  my  object;  you  have  seen  the  world, 
and  become  a  man  of  experience,  with  a  strength  of  mind  and  with  a 
beard  on  your  chin.  But  as  I  was  at  the  same  time  the  cause  of  all 
the  dangers  and  suffering  you  endured,  it  is  but  just  that  I  should  do 
something  to  discharge  my  debt  towards  you.  Come,  friends,  drink 
to  the  health  of  Victor  Roozeman  and  his  betrothed,  Lucia  Moreels. 
In  six  weeks  the  wedding  shall  take  place!  To  my  arms!  to  my 
arms !  "  cried  the  Captain. 

Scarcely  were  the  words  out  of  his  lips  when  Victor  and  Lucia 
were  clasped  to  his  breast,  while  they  blessed  and  embraced  him. 
Freeing  himself  from  them  he  said,  laughing, — 

"Come,  come,  that  will  do!  You  need  not  choke  me.  I  know 
very  well  that  you  love  me  sincerely,  and  that  you  will  be  happy." 


- 


236  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

Creps'  father  now  got  up,  as  he  too  wished  to  make  a  speech. 
Turning  to  his  son,  he  said,  — 

"Jan,  you  promised  me  just  now  that  you  would  work  zealously  to 
win  an  independent  position  in  the  country.  This  has  pleased  me, 
for  it  doubles  the  value  of  the  good  news  which  I  have  to  tell  you. 
My  trade  has  been  very  flourishing  during  your  absence,  and  I  can 
now  make  some  sacrifice  to  insure  my  son's  happiness.  I  have 
agreed  with  Captain  Moreels;  we  shall  unite  between  us  the  neces- 
sary capital  to  establish  a  house  of  colonial  produce.  We  place  this 
capital  in  the  hands  of  those  dear  children  whom  God,  after  so  many 
pains  and  trials,  has  brought  back  in  safety  to  our  arms.  Well,  friends, 
I  wish  the  prosperity  of  the  new  house  of  business  about  to  be  founded 
under  the  firm  of  Jan  Creps,  Victor  Roozeman,  and  Co." 

Loud  applause  followed  these  words;  and  Creps  was  especially 
delighted  that  this  arrangement  would  link  his  fortune  with  that  of 
Victor  Roozeman. 

But  now  Donatus  hung  his  head  over  the  table  to  hide  his  tears. 
All  did  their  best  to  console  him. 

It  was  some  time  before  Kwik  could  master  his  feeling  and  raise 
his  head.  Then  he  said, — 

"Well,  I  was  thinking  of  my  poor  Anneken,  but  I  must  not  be  un- 
happy; the  joy  of  my  dear  companions  should  console  me.  God  is 
good,  but  the  lot  of  all  cannot  be  equally  prosperous." 

*  We  are  forgetting  the  good  Donatus,"  said  the  Captain.  "  A 
happy  thought  strikes  me!  At  Aertselaer,  not  far  from  Natten-Haes- 
donck,  I  have  a  small  farm,  which  might  be  increased  in  time.  It  is 
good,  fertile  land.  The  farmer  is  dead,  and  his  widow  leaves  the 
farm  next  month.  Would  our  friend  Donatus  like  to  rent  this  farm 
of  me?  If  so,  he  shall  have  it  on  reasonable  terms.  I  will  help  him 
by  every  means  in  my  power.  In  the  hope  that  he  will  accept,  I  wish 
all  success  to  Master  Donatus,  farmer  of  the  Blue  Farm." 

Every  one  applauded,  and  congratulated  Kwik.  When  silence 
was  restored,  he  said,  — 


THE   BETROTHAL   OF  VICTOR   AND  LUCIA. 


THE    RETURN. 


239 


"I  don't  know  how  to  thank  you!  You  are  too  kind,  my  good 
friends.  But  without  Anneken  I  can  do  nothing;  without  Anneken 
I  won't  stay  in  this  country;  but  I  shall  go  to  Holland  and  enlist  as  a 
soldier  for  Batavia." 

The  servant  came  in  and  said  to  Victor's  mother,  "  There  is  a  man 
in  the  shop,  ma'am,  who  insists  on  speaking  to  you.  He  is  dressed 
like  a  police-officer." 

"  If  it  were  only  Anneken's  father  how  I  should  dance  with  joy! " 
cried  Donatus:  "  Oh,  how  I  wish  it  might  be!  " 

Madame  Roozeman  left  the  room.  Donatus  was  pale  with 
anxiety. 

The  door  opened,  and  he  exclaimed,  "Anneken!  dear  Anneken!" 

"Donatus!  Donatus!  "  was  the  reply. 

And  Kwik  jumped  up  from  the  table,  throwing  two  plates  and 
three  glasses  to  the  ground,  and  ran  to  press  Anneken  in  his  arms. 

But  the  police-officer  stood  between  them,  and  pushed  Donatus 
back,  saying  indignantly,  "What  boorish  manners  these  are!  Do 
you  know  where  you  are?  Behave  properly!  " 

His  severe  look  made  poor  Donatus  turn  pale,  as  if  he  foresaw  his 
sad  fate.  Holding  out  his  trembling  hands,  he  stuttered,  "  Dear  sir, 
have  pity  on  me  and  on  your  good  Anneken! " 

"  Everything  must  take  its  course  regularly  and  properly,"  said  the 
police-officer.  "  I  wish  to  say  something  to  you,  Donatus,  which  will 
give  you  pleasure;  but  I  shall  first,  as  it  is  proper  to  do,  ask  per- 
mission of  these  ladies  and  gentlemen." 

?  Yes,  yes!  make  him  happy,  the  good  Donatus!  We  shall  all  be 
grateful  to  you! "  exclaimed  everybody. 

"Donatus  Kwik,  said  the  police-officer,  "you  have  brought  three 
thousand  francs  in  gold  back  from  California;  have  you  not?  No, 
no,  leave  it;  I  believe  what  you  say.  You  will  be  brave,  honest, 
industrious?  Well,  then,  make  my  Anneken  happy;  I  accept  you 
for  my  son-in-law. 


240  THE    BOYS    OF    THE    SIERRAS. 

Kwik  threw  himself  into  the  arms  which  were  opened  to  him,  and 
embraced  his  future  father-in-law. 

He  ran  to  Anneken,  and  pressed  her  also  to  his  heart;  but  the 
police-officer  separated  them,  blaming  him  for  his  rude  manners. 

"  Pardon  me,"  he  cried,  "  I  can't  help  it;  I  am  mad.  Am  I  awake 
or  in  a  dream?  No,  no,  it's  all  true!  Anneken,  the  good  Anneken, 
is  to  be  my  wife!  I  am  to  be  the  husband  of  Anneken!  Ah,  Mr. 
Victor,  who  could  have  hoped  for  this  day  when  we  dived  into  that 
abominable  pool  of  icy  water?" 

Then  he  added,  "  My  friends,  I  pray  for  the  health  and  long  life 
of  my  Anneken,  the  farmer's  wife  of  the  Blue  Farm  at  Aertselaer!  I 
bless  God,  who  has  brought  us  safely  back  from  all  the  dangers  into 
which  our  wicked  thirst  for  gold  led  us,  and  who  makes  us  now  so 
happy  with  the  prospect  of  honest  work  in  our  own  dear  fatherland." 

Here  we  leave  our  heroes,  whose  fortunes  we  have  followed 
through  many  terrible  scenes,  into  which  their  Mammon-worship  had 
led  them.  These  scenes,  repulsive  and  savage  as  many  of  them  have 
been,  are  not  overdrawn  pictures  of  the  reckless  wickedness  into 
which  the  maddening  thirst  for  gold  leads  its  victims,  and  the  purpose 
of  the  story  is  to  encourage  lads  to  be  content  to  do  their  duty  in  such 
commonplace  work  as  falls  to  their  lot,  and  not  to  be  too  eager  for 
money;  remembering  the  proverb  in  the  Divine  Word,  "They  that 
make  haste  to  be  rich  shall  not  be  innocent." 


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